UPEI’s Workforce Strategies Research Group releases PEI labour market research

The WSRG released their findings on PEI's labour market on April 12 at a presentation attended by the Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning Allen Roach and UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz.

The research, commissioned by Skills PEI, involved a survey of over 600 Island businesses, and established baseline labour market supply and demand information, and identified requirements for planning that will be used to determine a future skills model for PEI.

Dr. Wendy Carroll, principal researcher, presented the findings to an audience that included survey respondents and government and industry sector representatives. One key finding was that 60% of Island employers reported difficulty recruiting qualified candidates, and due to this recruitment difficulty, 670 jobs went unfilled. These study results reveal that the primary reasons for recruitment difficulties include a deficiency in experience, specific skills, and education/training qualifications.

At the end of the research presentation, Minister Roach gave closing remarks, commenting on the importance of gathering information on the PEI labour market, and how Island businesses were economy drivers, and that government's role was to support their efforts in employing Islanders. Along this vein, he then announced that the Government of Prince Edward Island would be launching a new employment-opportunity initiative in an effort to attract and retain post secondary institution-educated graduates. For full details, read the Government of Prince Edward Island news release