How To Immigrate To Canada: Thousands of school counsellor positions in Canada are expected to remain unfilled over the next decade unless more foreign nationals immigrate to the country and apply for them, according to data from the federal government.
“Job Bank, a job-hunting and career-planning website, predicts that between 2022 and 2031, there will be 17,300 new job openings for educational counsellors due to expansion demand and replacement demand.
“Although this occupational group has experienced a balanced labour market in recent years, projected job openings are projected to be significantly higher than the number of job seekers, resulting in a labour shortage from 2022 to 2031.”
Over the next nine years, the government anticipates that 4,600 positions for school counsellors will go unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates.
In Canada’s news media, shortages of school counsellors have been routinely reported over the past few years.
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A school counsellor in Nova Scotia reportedly informed Global News in late March of this year that there are insufficient counsellors to meet demand.
Andrew Gosney, a counsellor at Hammonds Plains Consolidated Elementary, reportedly told a news outlet, “There’s not enough, and I would argue that the majority of counsellors feel overworked.”
“Demand is extremely high. It is quite diverse. You have a wide range of mental health requirements, including anxiety, depression, bereavement, gender and sexuality issues, and anything related to cultural relations.”
For years, experts have cautioned governments and school authorities about the shortage of qualified school counsellors.
Terri MacAdam, director of student services for the Public Schools Branch (PSB) on Prince Edward Island, reportedly told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 2021 that the shortage of school counsellors was a nationwide problem and that schools were struggling to find qualified candidates for the available positions.
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MacAdam reportedly stated, “This year we had difficulty filling positions, and some positions remained vacant for an extended period of time.”
With the announcement by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) earlier this year that Canada’s Express Entry system will begin targeting 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport, and agriculture this summer – including school counsellors – foreign nationals seeking permanent residence in Canada now have a new opportunity.
Prior to now, the hallmark Express Entry selection system only held draws based on immigration programmes, not specific occupations.
Under Occupation-Specific Express Entry Draws, applicants must have a minimum of six months of work experience.
To be eligible, candidates must have at least six months of continuous work experience in one of these occupations in Canada or abroad within the past three years. This experience may have been gained while working in Canada as temporary foreign workers with work permits or as an international student with a student visa.
In July, the Indeed.ca job-searching website featured 52 job postings for school counsellors classified under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 41320, some of which were from employers seeking to hire multiple candidates.
In July, the majority of school counsellor jobs posted on Indeed were in British Columbia, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.
According to Job Bank, the median hourly wage for school counsellors in Canada is $40.76, with a range between $24.62 and $49.52.
On the basis of a standard 37.5-hour work week, school counsellors can expect to earn a maximum median annual salary of $96,564.
According to the changes announced at the end of May, the Express Entry streams, including the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) programme, the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) programme, and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as portions of the Provincial Nominee Programmes (PNP), are now more responsive to labour market needs.
The Immigration Minister has made 82 occupations eligible for Express Entry draws.
Former Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has heard repeatedly from enterprises across the nation that they are experiencing chronic labour shortages.
“These modifications to the Express Entry system will guarantee that they have access to the competent labour they require for growth and success. In addition to growing our economy and assisting companies with labour shortages, we can increase the number of French-proficient candidates to guarantee the vitality of French-speaking communities.
In June of last year, when the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act was amended to permit invitations based on occupations and other attributes, such as language ability, Canada first signalled its intention to initiate occupation-specific drawings through Express Entry.
The majority of Canadian jurisdictions have issued invitations based on occupation for several years.
Before announcing new categories, the immigration minister must consult provinces and territories, members of the industry, labour unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organisations, and immigration researchers and practitioners, per the amendments to the act.
Additionally, IRCC must annually report to Congress on the categories selected and the rationale behind those selections.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) reports that between 2019 and 2021, the number of occupations with labour shortages multiplied. Between 2018 and 2022, federal high-skilled admissions comprised between 34% and 40% of all French-speaking admissions outside of Quebec, which administers its own immigration intake.
