Skills Shortages 101

Everyone has heard business and labour leaders and elected officials talk about the looming skills shortage, but just what does that mean?

To find out more about some of the factors that governments consider when thinking about skills shortages, as well as some of the things that can cause skills shortages, and some of the potnetial solutions, follow the links below. If you come across terms you are unfamiliar with, please see the glossary of labour market terms.

Once you have had a chance to look at this information, please use the “talk to us” link to give us your input.

• What do we mean when we talk about skills shortages?

• How do we measure skills shortgages and what evidence is there of a skills shortage today?

• Is there a skills shortage in B.C. and what can be done about skills shortages?

• How do we forecast skills shortages?

• What will the labour market look like in the future?

• Where will the skills shortages be?

• What happens if nothing is done about skills shortages?

Governments use a variety of methods to to try to forecast future skill and labour demands in order to inform public policy decisions. Not only is this difficult to do precisely, but also requires interpetation of many indicators. Staff in the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services have been working on identifying critical skill pressures over the next decade. Individual employers and industry associations involved in labour supply/demand planning who are interested in this detailed information can use the "talk to us" link to contact someone in the Skills Development Branch.