Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism. (Government of Alberta)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Provincial Politics

Province aiming to attract global talent to solve job market gaps

Jan 22, 2023 | 2:00 PM

Alberta’s government says it is working to attract more newcomers to help grow the economy and address labour shortages in key sectors.

Provincial officials say Alberta’s economy has recovered strongly and the biggest issue hindering further economic growth is a shortage of labour. Alberta’s government says it is making changes to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) that will increase opportunities for international, high-demand workers with close relatives in Alberta to fill those vacancies.

AAIP is described as an economic immigration program that enables Alberta to nominate qualified workers for permanent residency. If newcomers have an established support system already in place when they accept a job in the province, the government says they are more likely to have an easier transition to a new culture and community. In addition to making the integration into Alberta life easier, it also helps retain these workers over the longer term, officials point out.

“AAIP’s change will draw workers in high-demand sectors through Express Entry who have immediate family ties in Alberta. This approach will help ensure Alberta’s economy will prosper by dedicating a portion of provincial nominations towards in-demand workers who will have a great support network right from day one,” says Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

The government says industry experts predict that Alberta will experience skilled worker shortages into 2025 due to industry growth and retiring workers. Currently, Alberta is said to have 100,000 job openings in the province across all sectors. In-demand sectors include healthcare, construction, education, technology and engineering.

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“The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program is one of the most attractive provincial nominee programs in the country. This announcement will definitely increase the retention of talent in Alberta,” says Sheba Singh, CEO, Canarch Immigration Solutions. “Immigration fuels our economy. Giving priority to high-demand workers with families in Alberta will not only fill the labour gap but will also provide solid support to new immigrants in their settlement.”

“A big thank you to minister Rajan Sawhney for taking this initiative to strengthen our provincial immigration,” adds Singh.

“With job vacancies high and unemployment relatively low, the labour market in Alberta is the tightest we’ve seen in years, and skilled immigration is one of the best ways we can address the labour shortages affecting the majority of Alberta employers. Maximizing the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program is a win for Alberta’s economy, addressing many of the labour gaps and attracting more people to the province,” says Adam Legge, president, Business Council of Alberta.

Alberta government quick facts:

• In December 2022, Alberta gained more than 41,000 new full-time jobs for a total of nearly 94,000 full-time jobs in 2022. 221,000 full-time jobs have been added in Alberta since the start of 2021.
• Alberta is forecasting a cumulative job shortage of 33,100 workers by 2025 across several occupations, skill levels and sectors
• AAIP is an economic immigration program that allows Alberta to nominate individuals for permanent residence.
  • Nominees must have skills to fill job shortages in Alberta and be able to provide for their families.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sets AAIP annual nomination limits:
  • In 2022, AAIP issued all 6,500 nomination certificates that were allocated by IRCC to skilled and semi-skilled immigrants across seven immigration streams.

3,120 certificates were allocated under the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

Christina Gray, Alberta NDP Labour and Immigration critic, issued the following statement in response to the Express Entry qualifications:

“The Alberta NDP deeply values the contributions of new Albertans, and it is important to make sure everyone in Alberta can succeed both in their communities and in the economy.

“The announcement on Express Entry is not a new policy, as family ties have always been an important qualifier in the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program. Moreover, it does not offset the UCP’s own lack of progress in attracting skilled immigrants.

“In 2020, the UCP was the only government in Canada to reduce immigrant nominations and even today, they continue to ignore requests for funding from immigrant settlement agencies that are struggling to meet the growing demands for support.”