Ottawa: The number of jobs in the electricity sector will continue to outstrip the number of skilled people available to fill the positions. In fact the gap is expected to widen as the workforce retires and the next phase of infrastructure investment takes hold.
“45,000 infrastructure positions need to be filled in the next couple of years across Canada, both skilled trades and professions,” reports Greg Lister of Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC), a non-profit organization based in Ottawa. “This figure includes a range of construction jobs and 23,000 electricity sector positions spread across 19 occupations,” he says.
Although this kind of workforce challenge has been apparent in the Canadian power sector for several years, the need is becoming more acute and companies hoping to expand in the industry will need to think carefully about where their employees will come from.
EHRC describes itself as a “Hub of research into HR trends and sector specific solutions into Canada’s skilled labour shortage.” They conduct regular research into workforce patterns and trends and provide reports to industry stakeholders including employers, government and educational institutions. Serving the industry since 2005, they work with generators, transmitters, distributors and the supply chain. Their focus is not directly related to DSM or grid operation.
Lister believes generators can secure value from HR services like those available through EHRC. They have industry specific HR information and tools, and services to help employers match workforce supply and demand. “These are the kinds of resources that are empowering companies to grow in terms of human resources and becoming more forward-oriented.” They are of course already in communication with HR professionals at many of the major power utilities across Canada.
“We want to ensure the investments of today are likely to remain optimal in five or ten years,” Lister says.
For more information see www.electricityHR.ca. See also the related story “Demand for skilled workers intensifies in Canadian power sector ” from IPPSO FACTO February 2012.