Immigration experts are saying that China’s new immigration policies are a sign that recent Canadian policies are effective in attracting skilled workers.
This month, news broke in China that the country would be implementing a new immigration policy similar to those recently undertaken in Canada, including developing a list of the skills most needed by employers in the country.
The Chinese government, much like the Canadian government, is reportedly also consulting employers to help them determine what skills should be on the list. Experts say the list is likely to include workers in the technology sector as well as management and science.
Though China is not expected to bring in nearly the number of immigrants per year that Canada currently does, the policy change does point to an increasingly competitive labour market where countries must strategically recruit the workers they most desperately seek.
It also points to the growing importance of Southeast Asia in supplying workers to the global marketplace. Though North America – Canada and the United States, in particular – still draw a large amount of workers and students from the region, the increase in Chinese and Japanese recruitment efforts could have an effect.
As the baby-boomer generation retires, officials anticipate large worker shortages across Canada, particularly in the skilled trades professions. Canadian policy-makers should be aware of these trends if they wish to stay competitive in the coming years.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
