Jobs In High Demand Are Up For Grabs!

Positions in the skilled trade sector pay above the national average and are currently recruiting

Written by Oxana Tsirelman, Online Editor

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49964356@N07/5183574473

High demand jobs are a topic of much debate nowadays, especially in the recession. After all, everyone wants a sizable paycheque as soon as possible. To reach that goal, it looks like there’s a good chance you’ll have to go back to college because tradesmen are in high demand.

Yuki Hayashi from Canadian Living Magazine cites that, “If you don’t want an office job, but do want a salary that pays above the national average, this is the sector [skilled trade] for you. Unfortunately…the skilled trades have suffered stigmatization for a generation. As a result, a shortage of tradespeople is looming in the service (chefs, horticulturalists), construction (electricians, carpenters, plumbers), transportation (aviation technicians, automotive service technicians) and manufacturing (industrial mechanics, tool and die makers) sectors.” In fact, over the next 20 years, 40% of new jobs are expected to be in the skilled trades and technologies.

[pullquote]Your chances of finding a job are doubled if you specialize in a skilled trade![/pullquote]Becoming a college or vocational school teacher is not a bad option either; it has definite prospects. “The boom in skilled trades means there’s also a need for instructors at community colleges, Quebec’s CEGEPs, technical institutes and other vocational schools,” explains Hayashi. Your chances of finding a job are doubled if you specialize in a skilled trade!

In high school, everybody is shooting for the stars by wanting to become a doctor or lawyer. However, in today’s age, many employers want people with computer and engineering training. According to business reporter Dana Flavelle, “Call it the “geek” factor, combined with ignorance about job opportunities, but engineering and computer jobs still rank low on many students’ career aspirations.” Flavelle adds, “For every 7 job openings in those professions in the Greater Toronto Area, there is just one qualified recent graduate of a post-secondary program, a new study shows.”

Laurier math and business student in Poki Chau affirms this trend: “jobs in information technology weren’t really discussed even in career class (in high school). Most people were talking about becoming doctors.”

Business marketing student Amanda Wong adds: “I went to a job fair a few weeks back and most of the employers were interested in students with software, engineering and IT training. It really opened my eyes to how few employers are looking for people like me”.


A study done by the Toronto Regional Research Alliance found that jobs in the information technology and engineering sectors are in high demand and these fields have the most dire shortage of skilled graduates. Professions in design, especially in web design, are also in high demand. Unfortunately, these fields severely lack graduates with technical training. We have a lot of work to do to regain equilibrium on the employment front, so we better get cracking!

ARB Team
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