CANADA NEWS RELEASE: Government of Canada invests in skills training to address shortages in trucking industry

Mississauga Board of Trade

Published

February 21, 2023

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NEWS RELEASE

Government of Canada invests in skills training to address shortages in trucking industry

February 21, 2023

Employment and Social Development Canada

MILTON — The Canadian economy has made strides toward recovering from the pandemic, having achieved record low unemployment rates and record high labour force participation rates. However, significant skills and labour shortages continue to affect many sectors, and investments in training are needed to rebuild a strong and resilient workforce that can meet the demands of today’s economy. Each sector of our economy is unique and often requires tailored approaches to workforce solutions and skills development to remain adaptable and responsive to the changing labour market.

Today, the Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, on behalf of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister, Carla Qualtrough, announced that the Government of Canada is investing up to $46.3 million to Trucking Human Resources Canada under the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program. The organization’s Driving Economic Recovery project will provide training subsidies and wage subsidies to support the recruitment, training and onboarding of up to 1,400 new truck drivers and 1,200 workers for other in-demand occupations within the trucking sector.

This project will address inconsistencies in driver training by developing a national standard that will support transferable skills and bridge the gap between entry-level training and employability throughout Canada. Up to 2,600 participants—with an emphasis on women and other equity-deserving groups—will receive training, on-the-job work experience and other wraparound supports, such as travel and living expenses, to prepare them for a career in the trucking sector.

First announced in Budget 2021, the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program helps key sectors of the economy implement solutions to address their current and emerging workforce needs. It does so by funding organizations to deliver sectoral projects that focus on a range of industry-driven activities. These include training and reskilling workers, helping employers retain and attract a skilled and diverse workforce and other creative solutions to help sectors address labour market needs. It will also support equity-deserving groups by promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce and providing wraparound supports as needed to those facing barriers to participation.

Quick Facts

First announced in Budget 2021, the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program helps workers and employers by supporting solutions to address current and emerging workforce needs in key sectors, including:
- building talent for Canada’s clean economy;
- supporting the needs of workers and employers hardest hit by the pandemic; and
- addressing challenges faced by in-demand health care occupations.
Through the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, Trucking HR is receiving an investment of $46,264,396 for its Driving Economic Recovery project. This project will provide immediate help to the sector by scaling up Trucking HR Canada’s established Career ExpressWay driver training program. It will also support the participation of women and other equity-deserving groups in the trucking sector, most notably by building on the organization’s successful Women With Drive initiative.
As of fall 2022, Canadian employers were seeking to fill over 1 million job vacancies. A significant number of vacancies (243,400) are in the professional, scientific, technical, construction and manufacturing sectors, which were already seeing shortages before the pandemic. Furthermore, 26,900 of those vacancies were truck driver jobs.
In all sectors, it is anticipated that population aging and declining participation will exacerbate labour shortages over the long-term. It is estimated that 600,000 workers may retire over the next three years.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance forecasts that the trucking industry will have a shortage of 55,000 workers at the end of 2023.

Additional Resources

Media Contacts

Tara Beauport
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
tara.beauport@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
343-576-1628

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca