About us Behind The Numbers delivers timely, progressive commentary on issues that affect Canadians, including the economy, poverty, inequality, climate change, budgets, taxes, public services, employment and much more. Contributors include staff and research associates from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The views expressed on this blog are those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the CCPA. Read more... Are There Labour And Skills Shortages In Canada? Further to my earlier post on this topic, whether or not we are or will soon be experiencing labour and skills shortages is a question of critical importance to the development of sound public policy. Next week, we will get some new Statistics Canada data on job vacancies which will help support a more informed discussion. Given projections of very weak economic growth and a real  unemployment rate which is much higher than before the recession and still stands at over 10%, it is hard to support the case that we face generalized labour shortages anytime soon. Demand for workers can be readily filled from the ranks of the unemployed, discouraged job seekers, and the involuntarily part-time and self-employed. Unemployment and under employment are especially high among the echo baby boomers entering the work force, recent immigrants trapped in jobs well below the level of their qualifications and experience, and aboriginal Canadians. Despite a slack overall job market, many employers claim that there are significant shortages of at least some kinds of workers across the