Navigating the Canadian job market can be a daunting task, especially for international students. As they embark on their academic journey in a new country, it’s crucial to provide them with guidance and support in exploring Canada’s industries, understanding the most in-demand jobs, and navigating the application process. In this blog post, we’ll not only highlight the importance of guiding international students in these areas but also offer insights into the key industries, sought-after roles, and strategies to empower them for success in the Canadian workforce.
Understanding the different industries and employment:
Source: Statistics Canada – Dec’23
Key takeaways from the main industries:
- Healthcare and Social Assistance: With an aging population and evolving healthcare needs, this sector offers numerous opportunities for international students, particularly in roles such as registered nurses and pharmacy technicians.This sector consistently has the highest number of job openings with 127,2600 vacancies on December 2023, offering diverse opportunities for international students to contribute to Canada’s healthcare system.
- Accommodation and Food Services: The accommodation and food services sector encompasses businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and catering services. With Canada’s thriving tourism industry and diverse culinary scene, there are ample opportunities for individuals seeking both part or full-time employment in hospitality and food service roles.
- Retail Trade: The retail sector provides a wide range of employment opportunities, from sales associates to store managers, making it an accessible industry for international students looking for part-time or entry-level positions.
- Manufacturing: Manufacturing remains a vital sector in Canada, contributing to both domestic production and exports. This industry encompasses a wide range of activities, including the production of automobiles, machinery, and electronics. With advancements in technology and automation, there is a growing demand for skilled workers in this sector.
- Construction: The construction industry plays a crucial role in building and maintaining Canada’s infrastructure. From residential and commercial projects to civil engineering and landscaping, there is a constant demand for skilled tradespeople such as electricians or carpenters and professionals in this sector
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: This diverse sector includes a wide range of professional services such as legal, accounting, engineering, and consulting. With Canada’s growing knowledge-based economy and emphasis on innovation, there is a growing demand for skilled professionals in specialized fields.
Highest on-demand jobs across all industries and key insights:
- Human Resources Manager (NOC 10011): With a median wage of $54.95/hour, a human resources manager plans and controls operations of personnel departments. Key knowledge requirements are labor relations, promoting and developing collaboration, persuasion and time management skills. Make your students stand out by introducing them to related Associations that can offer them designations. As an example, if located in Ontario, you can introduce them to the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA), and in other provinces, to the Chartered professionals in Human Resources (CPHR/CRHA).
- Supply Chain Manager (NOC 10012): With a median wage of 57.21/hour. Some high in-demand skills are logistics, warehouse and inventory management, persuasion and management of financial resources.
- Business Data Analyst (NOC 21221): With a median wage of $43.27/hour. Some high-demand related occupations are cybersecurity specialists and database analysts. Key attributes include attention to detail and analytical thinking. It is also crucial to have knowledge in mathematics, computer, technology and information systems, and programming languages.
- Software Engineering (NOC 21231): With a median wage of 51.65/ hour. Important skills to develop include testing and coding. A tip is to encourage your students to build up a portfolio to showcase the projects they worked at.
- Accountant (NOC 11100): With a median wage of $38.46/hour and over 900 job openings across Canada. The highest demand comes for the chartered professional accountants (CPA) certification.
- Other trades: cooking, electrical work, mechanical maintenance, painting, and welding.
What can you do and how can we help you?
- 100+ Jobs opportunities: With a network of over 250 employers, the summer internship hiring is in full swing across all industries and nationwide. You can provide these job opportunities to your students directly with our free white labeled platform. Learn more about it here.
- Career readiness: Prepare students with relevant skill set and provide exposure to the employers before they start the job application. We recently partnered up with the Government of Canada to launch the Career Pathway Program to help students validate their skillset and network with potential hiring managers along with receiving training and mentorship.
- National or provincial associations: Guide your students to be members of specific associations that can provide them with events, mentorship sessions, networking opportunities, and accreditations. Some examples:
- Engineering students that can be part of Engineers Canada, where they will find how to get an accreditation, they will find different events, news, among others.
- Human resources students can be guided to be part of either the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) if located in Ontario, and for other provinces, to the Chartered professionals in Human Resources (CPHR/CRHA).
- Business students with an interest in accounting can find valuable resources on CPA Canada.
Let’s empower international students to succeed in Canada’s competitive job market! By fostering collaboration between employers in booming industries, high-demand professional mentors, and relevant skill set, we can ensure that international students are well-prepared to contribute to Canada’s workforce and achieve their career goals.
Let’s connect and supercharge your international students’ success together.
