Presentation to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association

Presentation to Presentation to the Canadian Home Builders’ Associationthe Canadian Home Builders’ Association

MethodologyMethodology

Corporate Connection: Twice-yearly syndicated telephone survey of CEOs and senior executives Focuses on current corporate and public affairs issues

Fieldwork: Fall 2007 wave: Oct. 18 to Nov. 23, 2007

Survey of 400 senior business executives Findings accurate to within +/- 5%, 19 times out of 20

Mix of small (50 empl. or less), medium (50-99), and large firms (100+)

Results weighted by size, sector & region to reflect actual distribution of firms across Canada (according to Statistics Canada’s Business Register)

Fall 2007Fall 2007

PositionPosition(unweighted data)

8

3

3

6

7

14

15

45

0 10 20 30 40 50

Other

Manager

CFO/COO

VP (various)

Director

Owner

GeneralManager

President/CEO

Percentage

Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection - Fall 2007

Number of Full-Time Employees Number of Full-Time Employees (unweighted data)

12

16

14

15

16

18

9

0 10 20 30

Under 5

5-19

20-49

50-99

100-199

200-499

500 and over

Percentage

DK/NR = 1%Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection - Fall 2007

Sector Sector (unweighted data)

1122

44

55

67

89

1014

15

0 5 10 15 20

OtherReal estate/renting & leasing

Arts, entertainment, recreationConstruction

Prof., scientific, tech.Finance & insurance

Trans. & warehousingAdmin. support/waste mgnt.

Wholesale tradeAccom. & food servicesHealth care/social asst.

RetailMining/oil/gasManufacturing

Percentage


Region Region (unweighted data)

37

37

20

7

0 10 20 30 40 50

West

Ontario

Quebec

Atlantic

Percentage


Most Important Issue Facing CanadaMost Important Issue Facing Canada

25222

233333

4444

77

88

16

0 10 20 30

O therUS Trade disputes

Decline in manufacturing/resource relianceClimate changeGlobal economy

High cost of l ivingTerorism/security

Unemployment/lack of jobsWar in Afghanistan/Iraq

Economic sustainability/developmentGovernment debt/deficits

Labour shortageCdn. competitiveness

Economic issues (not specific)Environmental issues

Health careTaxes

Education/lack of skilled workers Level of Canadian dollar

Percentage

Q: In your view, what is the most important issue or challenge facing the country at this time?

DK/NR= 5% Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection - Fall 2007

Most Important Issue Facing CanadaMost Important Issue Facing Canada (Over Time) (Over Time)

% choosing issue as most important

32

16

01

6

12

20

13

2

7

12

19

12

2

13

6

10

5 7

14

7

32

8

9

5

00

5

10

15

20

25

Fall '04 Spring '05 Fall '05 Spring '06 Fall '06 Spring '07 Fall '07

Health Care Dollar

Education/skilled workers Environment*

Percentage

*Incl. climate change in fall ‘06, spring ’07, fall ‘07Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection - Fall 2007

Perception of Canadian EconomyPerception of Canadian Economy

7

30

45

105

3 10

20

40

60

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Percentage

Excellent Very Poor

Q. How would you describe Canada’s economy today? Please use a 7-point scale, where ‘1’ means you think it is very poor, and ‘7’ means excellent.


Economic OutlookEconomic Outlook

26 30 25 11 6

26 40 22 8 3

41 35 15 5 3

0 20 40 60 80 100

Sector

Economy

Company

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

Percentage

(7-point scale: 7 = excellent, 1 = very poor)

DK/NR= 2% or less

Q. Looking ahead two to three years, how would you describe the outlook for...?


Economic Outlook Economic Outlook (Over Time)(Over Time)

6154

6956

5759

7166

717478

76

0 20 40 60 80

Sector

Economy

Company

Fall 2007

Fall 2006

Fall 2005

Fall 2004

Percentage

% offering positive scores (5-7 on 7-point scale)


Preferred Preferred PrioritiesPriorities of Federal Government of Federal Government

DK/NR = 1% or less

30 24 20 12 14

29 31 12 16 12

44 25 16 6 8

45 26 11 13 5

49 23 15 7 6

47 27 18 6 1

47 27 8 8 950 25 15 6 5

53 22 13 5 6

59 20 10 7 3

59 24 8 6 3

65 20 8 5 1

0 20 40 60 80 100

Foreign takeovers

Unemployment

Reduce govt. debt

Taxation

Science & technology

Cda.'s physical infrastructure

Reduce regs and paper burden

Promote Cdn. productivity

Positive bus. environment

Environment

Manage natural resources

Health care

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

Percentage

Q. What priority do you think the Government of Canada should place on each of the following?

(7-point scale: 7 = Highest, 1 = Lowest)


PerformancePerformance of Federal Government of Federal Government

DK/NR = 5% or less

5 12 31 22 24

6 13 21 29 28

9 19 32 21 13

12 16 24 27 22

11 20 28 23 14

10 22 35 16 16

10 31 32 15 127 35 31 15 9

12 34 32 10 12

18 28 21 15 18

24 26 28 13 9

20 32 24 16 6

0 20 40 60 80 100

Foreign takeovers

Reduce regs and paper burden

Cda.'s physical infrastructure

Environment

Promote Cdn. productivity

Manage natural resources

Health care

Science & technology

Positive bus. environment

Taxation

Reduce govt. debt

Unemployment

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

(7-point scale: 7 = excellent, 1 = very poor)

Percentage

Q. How would you rate the performance of the Government of Canada in each of these same areas?


Preferred Priorities vs. Perceived Performance of Federal Govt.Preferred Priorities vs. Perceived Performance of Federal Govt.

Priority%

Performance%

Gap +/-

Reduce regs./paper burden 74 19 -55

Managing natural resources 83 32 -51

Environment 79 28 -51

Cda’s physical infrastructure 74 28 -46

Health care 85 41 -44

Promote business productivity 75 34 -41

Foreign takeovers 54 17 -37

Invest in science/technology 72 42 -30

Positive business environment 75 46 -29

Taxation 71 46 -25

Reduce debt 69 50 -19

Unemployment 60 52 -8Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection - Fall 2007

Rating of Overall Government PerformanceRating of Overall Government Performance

0

10

28

40

17

41

0

10

20

30

40

50

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Percentage

Excellent Very Poor

Q: How would you rate the overall performance of the Government of Canada? Once again, please use a 7-point scale where ‘1’ means very poor and ‘7’ means excellent.


Rating of Overall Government PerformanceRating of Overall Government Performance(Over Time)(Over Time)

Percentage

31 21 23

5541 51

3830

5645

2427

2224

010203040506070

Fall'04

Spring'05

Fall'05

Spring'06

Fall'06

Spring'07

Fall'07

Positive (Scores 5-7) Negative (Scores 1-3)


Preferred Preferred Priority Attributed to Labour Market IssuesPriority Attributed to Labour Market Issues

DK/NR = 2% or less

25 34 18 15 7

40 29 8 14 7

55 16 18 5 5

59 17 12 6 4

57 25 6 5 6

67 16 9 1 5

61 27 5 2 6

70 20 5 5

0 20 40 60 80 100

Help underrepresented groups

Help Cdns. find good jobs

Help immigrant skills acceptance

Ensure skilled workers for employers

Address labour shortages

Ensure post-sec skills match market demands

Support apprenticeships/skilled trades

Nationwide acceptance of credentials

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

Percentage

Q. How much of a priority do you think the Government of Canada should place on each of the following? Please use a 7-point scale, where ‘1’ means it should be a low priority and ‘7’ means it

should be a high priority. How about…?



Perceived Perceived Performance of Government of Canada on Labour Performance of Government of Canada on Labour Market IssuesMarket Issues

DK/NR = 2% or less

5 14 34 16 27

7 12 26 29 25

5 16 20 25 33

10 13 28 22 23

3 22 31 23 18

5 22 24 24 21

7 23 29 28 12

7 25 29 17 17

0 20 40 60 80 100


Address labour shortages

Help immigrant skills acceptance

Nationwide acceptance of credentials

Help Cdns. find good jobs



Help underrepresented groups

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

Percentage

Q. Now I’d like to ask you how satisfied you are with the performance of the federal government on these same issues. Again, please use a 7-point scale, where ‘1’ means extremely dissatisfied and 7

means extremely satisfied. How about…?

(7-point scale: 7 = Extremely satisfied, 1 = Extremely dissatisfied)


Priority vs. Performance of Government of Canada on Priority vs. Performance of Government of Canada on Labour Market Issues Labour Market Issues

(scores of 5-7)(scores of 5-7)

Priority

%

Satisfied

%

Gap +/-

Nationwide acceptance of credentials 90 23 -67

Address labour shortages 82 19 -63


88 30 -58


76 19 -57


83 27 -56

Help immigrant skills acceptance 71 21 -50

Help Cdns. find good jobs 69 25 -44

Help underrepresented groups 59 32 -27


Spring 2007Spring 2007

Priority Government Should Place on Labour Issues Priority Government Should Place on Labour Issues Related to Related to Advantage CanadaAdvantage Canada

32 26 20 16 6

59 22 12 5 2

73 19 6 11

0 20 40 60 80 100

Quantity ofworkers

Efficiency/mobilityof labour force

Quality of labourforce

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

Percentage


DK/NR = 1% or less

Q: The labour market component of Advantage Canada focuses on three areas – labour quantity, labour quality and labour market efficiency. As an employer, what priority would you like to see placed on government action in

each of these three areas?

Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection - Spring 2007

Most Important Issue Requiring Attention: Most Important Issue Requiring Attention: Unemployment or Skilled Labour Shortages?Unemployment or Skilled Labour Shortages?

Skills/Labour shortage

89%

Both equally5%

Unemployment4%

Q: Some people think the most important issue requiring attention at this time in terms of the number of workers and jobs in Canada is unemployment. Others say that skills and labour

shortages are increasing in some sectors and regions of the country, and that this is the more pressing issue. Which do you think is the more important issue at this time…?

DK/NR = 2% or less

Spring 2007


Perception of Canada’s Competitiveness Perception of Canada’s Competitiveness Vis-à-vis Skilled WorkforceVis-à-vis Skilled Workforce

1

10

36

20 21

10

10

10

20

30

40

50

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Percentage

Highly competitive Not at all competitive

DK/NR = 2%

Q: How would you rate Canada’s competitiveness in terms of the ability of employers to find or develop the skilled workforce they need?


Percentage

Highly competitive Not at all competitive

13

1011

3636

20

15

2122

10 10

1 10

10

20

30

40

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Spring '07Spring '06

Perception of Canada’s Competitiveness Perception of Canada’s Competitiveness Vis-à-vis Skilled WorkforceVis-à-vis Skilled Workforce

(Over Time)(Over Time)


Is Is YourYour Company Experiencing Labour Shortage? Company Experiencing Labour Shortage?

36

26

20

18

0 10 20 30 40

DK/NR = 1%

Percentage

No shortage

Small shortage

Moderate shortage

Significant shortage

Q: At the present time, would you say your company is experiencing a significant labour shortage, a moderate shortage, a small shortage, or no shortage at all?


Is Is YourYour Company Experiencing Labour Shortage? Company Experiencing Labour Shortage?(Over Time)(Over Time)

2836

2226

2320

2618

0 10 20 30 40

Spring '07

Spring '06

Percentage

No shortage

Small shortage

Moderate shortage

Significant shortage


Concern About Future Impact of Labour ShortagesConcern About Future Impact of Labour Shortages

8

17

37

37

0 10 20 30 40

Very concerned

Moderately

Not very

Not at all

Percentage

Q: Looking ahead 5-10 years or so, are you concerned about the potential impact that labour or skills shortages might have on your business?


Importance of Importance of Advantage CanadaAdvantage Canada Measures to Address Measures to Address Labour Market IssuesLabour Market Issues

47 32 11 7 3

63 18 11 4 4

67 21 8 31

51 39 5 21

0 20 40 60 80 100

Help foreign workers/students educated inCda. become permanent residents

Improve student financial assistance

Strengthen PSE system

Better recognize credentials of immigrants

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

Percentage

DK/NR = 2% or less

Q: Advantage Canada, the federal government’s economic plan, identifies a number of measures to address labour market challenges facing the country. I’m going to read you a list of some of these

measures. For each one, please tell me how important you think it is…



Importance of Importance of Advantage CanadaAdvantage Canada Measures to Address Measures to Address Labour Market Issues (Cont.)Labour Market Issues (Cont.)

39 29 17 8 6

43 32 11 6 7

53 23 13 8 3

0 20 40 60 80 100

Remove barriers forunder-represented

groups

Work incentives for low-income Cdns

Remove barriers tolabour mobility in

Canada

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

Percentage

DK/NR = 2% or less

Q: Advantage Canada identifies a number of measures to address labour market challenges facing the country. I’m going to read you a list of some of these measures. For each one, please tell me

how important you think it is…


Fall 2006Fall 2006

Perceived Importance of Factors in Increasing Perceived Importance of Factors in Increasing Competitiveness of Canadian BusinessesCompetitiveness of Canadian Businesses

DK/NR = 3% or less

35 26 19 10 7

37 30 12 12 7

32 37 17 7 4

55 25 13 34

0 20 40 60 80 100

Cutting corporate taxes

Improving energy efficiency of business

Govt. investment in science/technology

Eliminating barriers to mvt. of skilledworkers

7-6 5 4 3 2-1

(7-point scale: 7 = very important, 1 = not important at all)Percentage

Q35-37. There are a number of things that could be done to increase Canada’s competitiveness and the competitiveness of Canadian businesses. I’d like to know how important you think each of

the following is in terms of increasing competitiveness.

Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection – Fall 2006

How Important is it that Regulations & Barriers How Important is it that Regulations & Barriers be Removed …?be Removed …?

54 37 53

75 23

0 20 40 60 80 100

Very important Moderately Not very Not important at all

Percentage

DK/NR =Less than 2%

… to enable skilled workers who immigrate to Canada to work in their trade or profession

… to enable skilled workers trained in Canada to work in their profession anywhere in the country

Q39-40. There are regulations and other barriers that prevent some skilled workers who immigrated to Canada from working in their trade or profession in Canada [and others]

that prevent skilled workers trained in one province from working in other provinces. How important do you think it is that such barriers be removed…

Fall 2006Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection – Fall 2006

Importance of Removing Barriers to Skilled Importance of Removing Barriers to Skilled Workers (over time)Workers (over time)

Percentage

86

91

97

98

0 20 40 60 80 100

Removing barriersto skilled immigrant

workers

Removingprovincial barriersto Canadian skilled

workers

Fall 2006

Fall 2004

% saying that issue is moderately - very important


Perceptions of Employment IssuesPerceptions of Employment Issues

25 44 28

4 26 67

28 27 26 10 8

0 20 40 60 80 100

How big a problem is it?

Is government paying right amountof attention?

What will situation be like in 10years?

Employers’ investments in employees’ training and skills development

Percentage

DK/NR = 4% or less

Too much

Right amount

Not enough

7-6

5

4

2-1

3

Better

Same

Worse

(7 = very big1 = not at all)



38 39 17

5 31 57

27 29 15 13 10

0 20 40 60 80 100




Ability of employers to hire qualified workers from outside of Canada

Percentage

DK/NR = 7% or less

Too much

Right amount

Not enough

7-6

5

4

2-1

3

Better

Same

Worse




26 37 31

1 28 67

17 36 20 18 8

0 20 40 60 80 100




Extent to which post-secondary ed. system meets employers’ needs

Percentage

DK/NR = 7% or less

Too much

Right amount

Not enough

7-6

5

4

2-1

3

Better

Same

Worse



Spring 2006Spring 2006

Challenges for Employers Re: Skilled WorkforceChallenges for Employers Re: Skilled Workforce

15333

44

55

799

1213

1529

0 10 20 30 40

OtherBrain drain

Aging populationKeeping employees

Growing need for knowl. workers

Employee work ethicsEconomy/industry state

Lack of skilled workersGovt. regulations/taxes

Restrictive immigration/no recog. credls.Not enough govt. support

Worker shortage

Competetiveness of wagesTraining issues/costs

Skills/education mismatch

Percentage

Multiple responses accepted

DK/NR = 6%Phoenix SPI; Corporate Connection - Spring 2006

Federal Govt. Attention to Skilled Workforce is…?Federal Govt. Attention to Skilled Workforce is…?

Not enough 74%

Too much 2%

The right amount

23%


Canada’s Ability to Develop Skilled Canada’s Ability to Develop Skilled Workforce Over Next 10 Years Will…?Workforce Over Next 10 Years Will…?

Get worse 33%

Remain the same 31%

Get better 34%


Sectors Seen as Having Greatest Labour ShortagesSectors Seen as Having Greatest Labour Shortages

17333

51212

1419

2324

28

0 10 20 30 40

Other

Retail

Tourism

Natural resources

Education/teaching

Service industry

Manufacturing

IT

Oil/gas industries

Health-care/life science/pharma.

Construction

Skilled trades

Percentage

DK/NR = 7%; multiple responses acceptedPhoenix SPI; Corporate Connection - Spring 2006

Documents

Presentation to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association