Getting your foot in the door: A look at entry level job vacancies in Canada

Most careers begin with an entry-level job, which essentially require no previous work experience. Job vacancies for entry-level positions are not only open to persons with no previous work experience, such as new entrants to the workforce and recent graduates, but also to those re-entering the labour market or wishing to change careers. These positions enable workers to acquire the skills and experience necessary to advance towards better jobs in the future. Changes in the economic landscape, including shifts to globalized markets and an emphasis on innovation and technology, have led to changes in how Canadians transition into the labour market. Some Canadians have responded by pursuing higher education: the proportion of employed Canadians aged 25 to 44 with a university degree increased from 18% in 1990 to 38% in 2016.1 For other Canadians, a cooperative education facilitates the school-to-work transition and provides an opportunity to acquire marketable skills: the proportion of college graduates who participated in a co-op program rose from 7% in 1986 to 22% in 2010.2 In response to an increased demand for skilled tradespeople, others have opted for apprenticeship programs that provide on-the-job training: registration in apprenticeship programs increased by 15% between 2008 and 2015, from 390,000 to 451,000.3 Understanding whether the skills employers are looking for differ from the ones available in the labour market is important. Some evidence hints that Canadian employers are having difficulty recruiting qualified workers.4 Employers are looking to recruit employees 2 / Insights on Canadian Society December 2017 — Statistics Canada Getting your foot in the door: A look at entry-level job vacancies in Canada who can adapt to changing workplace and industry conditions, as well as those who demonstrate strong “people skills” such as collaboration, communication, functional knowledge and problem solving skills