Career development in the canadian workplace location breakdown

Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:

National Business Survey

Location Comparison:

Rural, Outside Major Cities, Major Cities

December 2014

Research Details

Survey conducted by: Environics Research Group

Survey methodology:

• Telephone survey conducted among 500 senior officials from Canadian business

• Survey took place from October 25 to November 11, 2013

• Sampling method designed to complete interviews within businesses randomly selected

across Canada

• Results in this document may not add up to 100% (due to rounding or multiple responses as

well as the omission of “don’t know” answers)

2

Respondents

97

274

129

Rural Outside Major Cities Major Cities

3: Overview

Including yourself, how many employees does

your company currently have?

63%

20%

3%

3%

9%

43%

24%

6%

7%

19%

42%

18%

2%

11%

27%

<10

10-49

50-99

100-499

500+

Rural

Outside Major Cities

Major Cities

4: Overview

Looking ahead to the coming year, what would you say is the

greatest challenge facing Canadian businesses in general?

27%

21%

7%

10%

11%

9%

6%

5%

7%

6%

2%

4%

4%

2%

31%

22%

7%

8%

6%

5%

4%

8%

4%

4%

4%

4%

4%

4%

33%

25%

8%

3%

5%

7%

12%

4%

5%

5%

5%

3%

2%

2%

Shortage of skilled workers

General state of the economy

Foreign competition

Increasing overhead/operation costs

Shortage of quality workers (other)

Regulation/red tape

Financial growth/profitability

Taxes

Retirement of senior employees

Lack of funding/financing

Staff retention (general)

High Canadian dollar

Marketing/attracting new customers

Onboarding young workers

Rural


Major Cities

5: Overview

To what extent would you say that each of the following

presents a challenge to your business right now?

6: Overview

8%

5%

8%

14%

12%

18%

46%

34%

36%

29%

27%

22%

43%

35%

31%

20%

16%

18%

41%

21%

16%

23%

25%

27%

48%

44%

47%

27%

34%

26%

39%

36%

36%

37%

44%

37%

31%

34%

28%

23%

31%

25%

20%

28%

22%

27%

27%

21%

8%

17%

22%

19%

19%

21%

14%

12%

22%

23%

23%

29%

19%

24%

29%

45%

39%

39%

9%

16%

13%

18%

14%

16%

11%

16%

17%

5%

8%

9%

23%

24%

23%

16%

24%

27%

Rural


Major Cities

Rural


Major Cities

Rural


Major Cities

Rural


Major Cities

Rural


Major Cities

Rural


Major Cities

Rural


Major Cities

Very challenging Somewhat challenging Not very challenging Not at all challenging

Loss of senior employeesto retirement

Keeping up with technology

Shortage of skilled workers

Regulation and red tape

General state of the economy

Loss of talented employees toother organizations

Finding young workers



Recruitment: 6 Questions

7

In general, how easy or difficult is it to find people with the

right skill set to fill positions in your company? Is it...?

8: Recruitment

5%

4%

9%

14%

25%

17%

41%

45%

47%

37%

23%

21%

1%

2%

4%

Rural


Major Cities

Very easy Somewhat easy Somewhat difficult Very difficult Depends on the position

What are the main reasons it is difficult to

find the right candidates?

58%

12%

28%

8%

14%

8%

5%

1%

3%

1%

65%

15%

14%

13%

10%

4%

3%

3%

2%

3%

68%

17%

3%

11%

12%

8%

3%

2%

2%

2%

Hard to find qualified candidates/with right skill set

Hard to find reliable candidates/with right work ethic

Company's physical location is a barrier

Very competitive job market in this industry

We can only offer low/uncompetitive wages(including seasonal)

Takes too much time/effort to find right candidate

Hard to break through noise/get job/company noticed

Traditional recruitment approaches no longer as effective

Don't provide career advancement opportunities

Regulations/ red tape (e.g. government, unions)

Rural


Major Cities

9: Recruitment

Has your business done any of the following in the past five

years in order to find skilled employees?

44%

45%

61%

9%

14%

38%

54%

61%

51%

51%

65%

19%

29%

43%

67%

71%

52%

55%

68%

13%

41%

40%

65%

74%

Recruited through social media

Marketed the advantages of workingat your organisation

Offered training and advancementfor lower-level employees

Used automated resume software

Outsourced recruitment to searchor personnel firms

Used community employment agencies

Identified internal candidates

Employee referral

Rural


Major Cities

10: Recruitment

When searching for skilled employees, would you say that

resumes matter more than in the past, less than in the past

or about the same as always?

11: Recruitment

14%

10%

8%

14%

12%

15%

71%

77%

76%

Rural


Major Cities

More Less About the same

How important to you is a potential employees

online profile or footprint? Is it...?

12: Recruitment

11%

11%

10%

36%

43%

39%

24%

26%

35%

25%

18%

14%

Rural


Major Cities

Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important

And how much effort would you say your company puts into

customizing the recruitment approach in order to reach and

attract members of underrepresented groups?

13: Recruitment

16%

10%

16%

25%

35%

38%

54%

53%

40%

Rural


Major Cities

A lot of effort Some effort Not much effort



Skills Gap: 3 Questions

14

There is a gap between the skill level and experience that

prospective employees have, and what organizations in my

industry are looking for…

15: Skills Gap

28%

19%

26%

45%

54%

43%

18%

22%

23%

4%

2%

5%

Rural

Outside MajorCities

Major Cities

Strongly agree Somewhat agree

Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree

34%

36%

37%

14%

15%

17%

52%

47%

44%

Rural

Outside MajorCities

Major Cities

Increased Decreased Stayed the same

“Strongly Agree/Somewhat Agree”: In the past five years, would you say that the skills gap in your

industry has increased, decreased or stayed the same?

“Strongly agree/Somewhat agree”: Which of the following

statements is closer to your own opinion: The best way to close the

skills gap is for…

16: Skills Gap

46%

37%

15%

44% 45%

10%

38%

43%

18%

…employers to offer more training to new employees

…prospective employees to better prepare themselves for

the labour market

both/combinationof the two




Soft Skills: 4 Questions

17

What soft skills are most important to you in an employee?

38%

26%

25%

27%

14%

12%

11%

7%

10%

8%

6%

3%

4%

3%

5%

3%

2%

8%

38%

31%

20%

22%

18%

10%

12%

10%

8%

8%

5%

7%

6%

6%

4%

5%

4%

4%

29%

26%

34%

21%

22%

13%

9%

11%

10%

7%

10%

8%

6%

5%

6%

5%

8%

2%

Positive attitude

Communication skills

Teamwork skills

Strong work ethic

Interpersonal/customer service skills

Flexibility/adaptability

Honesty/integrity

Time management abilities

Reliability/dependability

Problem-solving skills

Accountability

Dedication/passion

Self-confidence

Willingness/ability to learn

Goal-oriented

Work well under pressure

Competence/diligence

Presentation

Rural


Major Cities

18: Soft Skills

How easy or difficult is it to find people

with these soft skills? Is it...?

19: Soft Skills

2%

4%

4%

22%

29%

29%

52%

49%

50%

20%

16%

16%

1%

1%

2%

Rural


Major Cities

Very easy Somewhat easy Somewhat difficult Very difficult Depends on position

If you are having difficulty finding technically skilled workers,

is your organization more likely to...

20: Skills Gap

72%

16%

6%

62%

28%

8%

56%

29%

12%

Hire someone with soft skillswho is a good fit and provide

training

Keep searching until you findsomeone with the right

technical skills

Depends


Are senior level positions in your organization

more likely to be filled by…?

21: Skills Gap

60%

19%

9%

62%

16% 16%

50%

28%

17%

Current employees who haveadvanced within the

organization

New employees brought infrom other organizations

Depends




Training: 8 Questions

22

Does your organization provide new employees with any of

the following types of training?

74%

59%

44%

84%

4%

81%

66%

44%

91%

2%

83%

67%

47%

87%

2%

Orientation

Mentorship

Apprenticeship

Job-specific training

Do not offer training


23: Training

Would you say that your organization is very willing, somewhat

willing, not very willing or not at all willing to hire and train new

employees who may lack in some technical skills?

24: Training

47%

39%

33%

32%

47%

43%

10%

9%

16%

5%

4%

5%

Rural


Major Cities

Very willing Somewhat willing Not very willing Not at all willing

Would you say that losing skilled employees in which you have

invested training to other organizations is...?

25: Training

29%

22%

29%

37%

42%

37%

23%

20%

23%

10%

16%

10%

Rural


Major Cities

A great concern Somewhat of a concern Not really a concern Not at all a concern

Does your organization use any of the following

to fill your labour needs?

42%

38%

31%

36%

25%

43%

39%

35%

35%

33%

44%

40%

37%

30%

40%

Co-operative educationprograms

Volunteer opportunities

Apprenticeships

Wage subsidy programs

Internships


26: Training

Does your organization provide ongoing training

for long-standing employees?

27: Training

72%

22%

84%

15%

87%

11%

Yes No


36%

27%

36%

40%

20%

39%

43%

12%

43%

Technical

Soft Skills

Both

If “yes”, is the training you provide to staff technical in nature, or focused on soft skills,

such as team building or diversity awareness?

Does your organization provide employees with professional

development opportunities, such as conferences or workshops?

28: Training

67%

27%

73%

27%

78%

19%

Yes No


Does your organization offer formal coaching or

mentoring programs for employees?

29: Training

43%

51%

43%

55%

45%

53%

Yes No




Youth Employment: 4 Questions

30

Which of the following do you think is the greatest

reason unemployment is particularly high

for young workers under the age of 25?

14%

14%

2%

28%

7%

7%

8%

10%

18%

13%

4%

17%

12%

9%

10%

9%

19%

10%

5%

18%

13%

9%

13%

7%

A lack of real world experience

Older workers staying at their jobs longer

A lack of networking and job search skills

They are too demanding in the job they want

Fewer entry-level jobs available

Lack of soft skills

Lack of technical skills

Lack of communication skills necessary to conveyabilities in an application or interview

Rural


Major Cities

31: Youth Employment

When recruiting job candidates, how much effort does your

company put into customizing the recruitment approach in order

to reach young workers? Would you say...?


22%

29%

42%

16%

43%

39%

21%

42%

35%

A lot of effort Some effort Not much effort


Which of the following is your organization doing

to attract younger workers?

39%

39%

33%

26%

18%

25%

16%

26%

58%

50%

40%

35%

34%

28%

24%

20%

59%

56%

37%

39%

33%

36%

28%

16%

Online job sites/boards

Recruiting through social media

Government sites

Recruiting on campuses

Taking part in job fairs

Offering paid internships

Offering unpaid internships

Recruiting through youth-servingagencies

Rural


Major Cities


Would you say that hiring and training recent grads and

young adults is part of your organization's

Corporate Social Responsibility?


40%

55%

51%

45%

50%47%

Yes No




Career Management: 5 Questions

35

Would you say that you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or

strongly disagree with the following statement: Employers have a responsibility

to provide career management programs for their employees.

36: Career Management

21%

27%

32%

42%

43%

47%

23%

23%

15%

12%

7%

6%

Rural


Major Cities

Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree

Does your organization have career

management programs for employees?


19%

76%

29%

70%

38%

57%

Yes No


22%

11%

28%

22%

28%

11%

0%

32%

24%

18%

18%

16%

15%

10%

29%

33%

18%

18%

12%

12%

10%

Individually tailoredtraining/coaching

Career planning/training/education

Succession/advancement programs

Skills developmentprograms

Mentorship/apprenticeship programs

Educationreimbursement/training

encouragement

Leadership programs

If “yes”, what are they?

Of the following, which presents the greatest challenge to

offering career management programs? Is it...?

33%

40%

16%

4%

2%

32%

46%

14%

4%

2%

33%

44%

11%

4%

2%

Cost

Time

Lack of expertise

None of the above

Not our responsibility

Rural


Major Cities


How important would you say it is to your organization to provide

employees the opportunities to reach their own career goals?

Is it...?


39%

46%

45%

45%

41%

43%

6%

7%

5%

4%

5%

7%

Rural


Major Cities

Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important



Please visit the CERIC website at ceric.ca to download the

National Business Survey Executive Summary

(available in English and French) and related information

as it becomes available.

40