For more than a decade, the United States and Canada have struggled to find skilled workers, which is why measures have been developed to grant skilled worker visas in both countries.
However, the issue is expected to worsen this year: on average, 11 million new jobs are produced in the United States each month, whereas Canada generates between 30,000 and 50,000 new employment per month due to its small population, according to Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) data.
“There are good-paying jobs available in almost every profession in the United States and Canada, but there aren’t many qualified people in the country, and some aren’t even interested in performing them.
This shortfall has been responsible for an increase in skilled immigrants to the country over the last decade, particularly since 2010, when Big Tech and STEM occupations expanded. Canada and the United States of America are increasingly dependent on foreign professionals since they cannot rely on their own workforce.
What explains the shortage of experts in the United States and Canada?
According to Gondim, a number of factors contribute to the current situation of immigrant labor in the United States. First, the US economy overheated and quickly recovered from the pandemic’s consequences. “The pent-up demand in 2020-2021 (height of COVID-19) resulted in a ‘explosion’ of new companies, startups and the arrival of thousands of foreign entrepreneurs and investors who decided to take their businesses to America.”
According to the lawyer, new generations are less interested in studying and working in previously desirable professions. “Professionals such as airline pilots, surgeons, and educators are not as popular among young people. At the same time, many experienced professionals retired (or were retired) during the pandemic.”
To make matters worse, the lawyer claims that globalization has enabled many American experts who were formerly leaders in their industries to relocate to countries with higher incomes and benefits, particularly rising Middle Eastern countries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Also, the professional shortage in Canada can be attributable to both economic and structural issues. Below, we’ve identified and explained some of the main reasons why we have such problems in Canada:
Aging Population and Retirements
Canada currently has the world’s greatest aging population among industrialized nations. According to a Statistics Canada analysis, one in every five Canadians is 65 or older, and this figure is expected to rise dramatically over the next ten years.
As a result, there has been a significant wave of retirements in essential professions such as healthcare, skilled trades, education, and so on. It is worth noting that certain vocations are tough to fill quickly.
Skill Mismatch
In Canada, there is also the issue of skill mismatch, which occurs when most job seekers’ talents do not match the skills required by employers. There is little doubt that the technology, healthcare, and construction industries are growing, but getting skilled or suitably experienced individuals is difficult.
Declining Interest in Certain Professions
Just as in the United States, some important professions in Canada, such as “healthcare, welders, plumbers, and teaching,” do not attract the younger generation, making it easy for younger talents to secure jobs in these fields, but Canadians are not showing interest.
People perceive such occupations as too hard, owing to the length of training, limited prospects for advancement, and potentially harsh work environments.
Pandemic-related impact
Do not forget that the COVID epidemic impacted the job world significantly, causing a number of sectors to endure ongoing shortages, particularly in essential sectors such as transportation and healthcare. Stress and burnout were other contributing factors to the lack of experts in the aforementioned areas; as a result, many people retired early, while others were laid off but refused to return to work.
Limited Domestic Workforce
Canada has a modest population growth rate and places a high value on immigration, which is why visa clearance is proactive but slightly simpler than in other top countries because the country relies mostly on immigrants for labor. It takes time to integrate talented immigrants into Canada’s employment, owing to language hurdles, qualifications, and work experience.
Global Competition
There is a huge competition going on throughout the world, which Canadians are also attempting to take advantage of, which is why Canadian professionals move abroad to look for employment chances in larger organizations and earn higher pay. Big jobs come with enticing chances, such as other benefits in addition to salary, and Canadians’ preferred destinations are the United States or Europe, where they can grow in their careers.
Booming Sectors and Economic Growth
Economic growth in Canada can be evident in industries such as technology, construction, and renewable energy. However, experienced growth has surpassed the initial training systems, as well as the education required to produce the best and most qualified experts, resulting in shortages in the aforementioned quickly increasing areas.
Government and Industry Responses
In order to alleviate the scarcity of professional workers, the Canadian government has put in place some measures that will help foreigners seeking a skilled worker visa in Canada, including:
- Immigration programs include Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), as well as some specific professional channels for ICT, tech, and health personnel designed specifically to accommodate foreign skilled persons.
- Training and Reskilling Initiatives: Private groups and even the government have made significant investments in immigrant training in order to integrate people into the system in high-demand professions.
- Incentives for Youth Participation: Because encouragement improves performance, there has been a significant effort to guarantee that youths are effectively encouraged through incentives.
Opportunity for immigrants
The situation in the United States can be a fantastic opportunity for qualified foreigners looking to lawfully contribute to the American job market. To entice these experts, the US government sets aside annual green card quotas for individuals with relevant experience, successful jobs, and, in many cases, higher education.
The so-called EB (Employment-Based) visas are specifically geared at this type of expert who will come to the US to assist solve the problem of a lack of skilled labor, and they can be granted based on exceptional abilities, consistent employment offers, or investment capacity in the country.
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Doctors
According to a statement issued by the American Medical Association (AMA) in October 2024, around 83 million people currently live in locations where there are insufficient doctors to service their needs. The lack of doctors extends from general practitioners to the most diverse specialties in the field.
The union also states that, due to a shortage of experts, many of the country’s doctors are forced to work double shifts, which has led to tiredness and resignation. Furthermore, the majority of the medical class in the job market is between the ages of 50 and 55, indicating a lack of enthusiasm or, in many cases, financial capacity among younger generations to meet the high expenditures of medical school.
Florida, California, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Arkansas are among the states that have a high demand for doctors and pay well.
Nurses
The present nursing shortage in the United States is expected to total 1.1 million professionals. “Especially between 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic, this shortage became even more evident, which even led the American government to ‘loosen’ some rules so that foreign nurses could migrate and work in the country” .
Despite this, the demand for nursing experts continues to rise, owing partly to the aging of American population. According to Drexel University, the states with the greatest need for nurses are California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania. California also has the highest average annual salary for nurses, at more than $100,000.
Physiotherapists
Younger people are less interested in training and working as physical therapists, as they are in most other health-care areas. “The aging of the American population makes this profession even more necessary, which has led many clinics and hospitals to hire immigrants who are qualified and have the necessary licenses to practice in the United States,” according to Gondin.
According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), by the end of 2022, the average number of physical therapists employed in large metropolitan areas will be 57 professionals per 100,000 people.
According to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Jobs of 2023, well-qualified physical therapists can earn an average yearly salary of more than $100,000, depending on the region in which they work. The greatest earnings are found in California, Nevada, New Jersey, Alaska, and Connecticut.
Dentists
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the United States has only 60 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants, similar to the situation in Canada. “The shortage of dentists has been around for a long time, but it has intensified in the last 10 years, as many dental professionals have retired and fewer dentists have graduated and entered the workforce.” A dentist’s average yearly compensation ranges from $158,000 to $208,000, making it one of the highest-paid professions in the country.
“However, foreign-trained dentists who wish to become licensed to practice in the United States should be aware that most U.S. states require a degree from a dental education program accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA),” the exact same rule applies to Canadian immigrants.
Engineers
According to a US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) poll, the US forecasts a six-million-engineer shortage in the employment market by 2026. Several causes contribute to the engineering shortage in the United States. First, there are considerable expenditures associated with training in the profession. A full engineering degree might cost anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000 per year, depending on the state in which the student studies. Furthermore, many American engineers have been enticed in recent years by attractive financial offers from Arab countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
“It is vital to emphasize that the engineering shortage affects all subdivisions, including Civil Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Production Engineering, and, most importantly, Oil and Gas Engineering. According to Gondin, the average annual salary for engineers in Texas, which is home to the majority of the country’s petrochemical enterprises and industries, ranges from $90,000 to $190,000, depending on the position and specialty of the expert.
The diploma validation criteria for engineers differ by state in the United States, but the lawyer underlines that virtually always, the professional must demonstrate that he or she has the knowledge and abilities required for the post, or take additional exams.
Pilots
Since 2020, over 130,000 flights have been canceled in the US due to a lack of pilots. Despite having the world’s largest aviation market with 735,000 active pilots, the shortage of professionals has never been greater. It is estimated that the country will require at least 150,000 new professionals in the next five years to avoid collapse.
Commercial airline pilots can earn between $99,000 and $200,000 per year, according to the ATP Flight School, with Nevada, Florida, Alaska, Montana, Virginia, and Texas having the highest demand for aviation professionals, according to Gondin, who emphasizes that there are several requirements to become a pilot in the United States.
“For a foreign pilot to work in the United States, they must first finish flight training, obtain an American license to fly commercial or cargo aircraft, and have at least 5 years of experience as a commercial airline pilot. Having almost 2,000 hours of piloting experience also helps significantly.”
Educators/Teachers
According to the Learning Policy Institute, instructors and educators are getting increasingly difficult to find in both the United States and Canada. The primary causes for this scarcity include low incomes, problems for older teachers in adapting to new technology (remote learning), poor student behavior in the classroom, and rising politics in schools and institutions. According to Gondin, the states with the highest educator shortage are Washington, Arizona, Indiana, California, and Nevada.
“For foreign educators who wish to work in the US, the main opportunities are in the fields of education for special children and language courses, with annual earnings that can vary from 60 to 90 thousand dollars, depending on the state and the professional’s specialization” , according to the lawyer.
Technology/ICT
California, Texas, and New York have the highest concentration of possibilities for IT workers in the US. Even still, Gondin claims that big tech businesses and American corporations are unable to locate enough people to meet market demand for developing new technology. “The Department of Labor estimates that there will be 1.5 million job openings for IT professionals available by the end of this year.”
Of all the professional fields that are now experiencing a scarcity of specialists in the country, IT is by far the one that concerns the US government the most, and hence provides the most prospects for well-qualified immigrants. “Depending on the IT professional’s area of specialization, annual incomes can range from $200 to $300 thousand per year,” Gondin points out.
During the epidemic, specialists in logistics (ports, air transport, road transport) played a crucial role in ensuring the flow of necessary products and services. According to Gondin, the increase in product and food delivery services, as well as transportation apps, has resulted in a lack of logistics workers.
“People working in this profession are needed in every state in the United States, with annual earnings varying greatly based on the sort of service offered. Truck drivers and logistics engineers are among the highest-paid logistics workers, earning more than $100,000 per year.
Businessmen
The American economy’s overheating means that more international entrepreneurs are relocating to the United States each year. However, there is still opportunity and incentive for many entrepreneurs to arrive, given the country’s lack of services and economic sectors.
“Opportunities are in every state, and depending on where the entrepreneur decides to set up his company or buy a franchise, there may be assistance from various non-governmental agencies and trade associations that encourage new businesses, granting loans and, depending on the case, providing financial incentives and direct partnerships,” according to the lawyer.
Hospitality and Tourism Professionals
Following the pandemic’s recovery, the tourism and hotel industries experienced a significant decline. There is a lack of experts in the tourist and hospitality industry, including chefs, event planners, and hotel management.
Environmental scientists
As there is more focus on sustainability and renewable energy in Canada, the United States, and the world in general, environmental professionals are increasingly sought after, including competent specialists. Climate change analysts, environmental engineers, energy auditors, and so on.
Researchers and academics
Research institutions, as well as Canadian universities, are always looking for skilled academics and researchers, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields; however, there has been a low record of professionals in this field, allowing immigrants to take advantage of it.
Agricultural workers
Agriculture is particularly significant in Canada since the country has a large agricultural sector that relies heavily on foreign labor to run efficiently and produce a high volume of agricultural products. Foreigners are widely recruited as Agricultural Technicians, Farm Managers, and Seasonal Laborers.
Social workers
There is always a high demand for social workers in every part of the world, and the United States and Canada will not be an exception. What makes it more appealing is the fact that in Canada and the United States, professionals in this line of work get better pay compared to other countries because the focus is more on the mental health of the citizens, as well as family services and community development
