Table Of ContentLabour Market and
Economic Indicators Dashboard
Information and
Communication
Technology Industry
2 0 0 6
Buildingand Educating
/dlberra
Tomorrow’sWorkforce
Information and Communication Technology Industry
Introduction
ByMarch2006,34of53occupationalgroupstrackedbytheAlbertagovernment
showedanunemploymentrateofthreepercentorless,indicatingskilland
labourshortages.Thisdocumentpresentsaseriesofeconomicindicatorsto
identifylabourandskillshortagesorsurplusesinindustrysectors.
Indicators suchastheunemploymentrate,vacancyrate,hiringdifficultyrate
anddemand-supplyratio1 areusedtodeterminethepresenceofshortagesor
surplusesnowandinthefuture.Thistoolshouldnotbeusedtomakedecisions.
Instead,theintentofthisdashboardistosparkdiscussionandgiveasnapshot
ofwheretheoccupationalclusterislikelytobewithinthenext10-yearperiod.
Additionalprovinciallabourmarketinformation,includingregionalinformation,
canbeobtainedatwww.hre.gov.ab.ca/liTiitoassistwithdecisionmaking.
What is ashortage?
Shortagesweredeterminedbylookingattheunemployment,vacancy,andhiring
difficultyrates,aswellasthedemand-supplyratioforanumberofoccupational
clusterswithinsectors. Occupationsaresortedbyindustrysectorasoutlinedin
AppendixA.
Thisbookletusesatrafficlightsystemtohelpdefineshortages,basedonthe
following:
Unemployment: Iftheunemploymentrateofanoccupationisless
thanthreepercent,thereisashortage.
Vacantjobs:If thevacancyrateofanoccupationismorethantwopercent,
thereisashortage.
Hiringdifficulty:Ifthehiringdifficultyrateofanoccupationismorethan
25percent,thereisashortage.
Demandandsupplyofworkers:Ademand-supplyratioofgreaterthan
oneindicatesasupplyshortagewhilearatiooflessthanoneindicatesa
supplysurplus.
Occupationalclustersarecodedred,yelloworgreenbasedonthefollowing:2
Red-AllindicatorsshowshortageORthevacancyrateisoverfive
percentandthereportedhiringdifficultyover40percent.
Yellow-Oneormoreindicatorsshowshortage.
Green-Allindictorsshowasurplus.
1SeeAppendixBformoreinformationabouttheunemploymentrate,vacancyrate,hiring
difficultyrateand/ordemand-supplyratio.
2SeeAppendixCformoredetailedinformationonthecolourcodingforeachoccupation.
Labour Market and Economic Indicators Dashboard
Information and Communication Technology
3
Thissectorincludescomputerandelectronicproductsmanufacturing,
telecommunicationservices,payTV,specialtyTVandprogramdistribution
andcomputersystemsdesignandrelatedservices
.
IndustryChallengesand Issues
Workintheinformationandcommunicationtechnology(ICT) sectorisvery
dynamicwithnewtechnologies (e.g,web-basedapplications) andmarket
segments (e.g.,wirelesscomputing,internetsecurity) emergingandconverging.
TheICTsectorhasalsocontributedtochangesinothersectors,especiallythe
educationandskillsneededtoworkinthesesectors.
Hiringqualifiedemployeesisasignificantchallenge.AsCanadianuniversities
cannotkeepupwithdemand,manyICTcompaniesseeimmigrationascritical
toaddress skillshortagesinthisindustry.However,Albertafacesinternational
competitionforqualifiedstaffwithothercountries.
3ThisinformationisbasedonGovernmentofCanadastatisticsandprojectionsforthe
NorthAmericanIndustryClassificationSystem(NAICS)majorgroup23.
4Therationaleforusing2003,2005,and2015asyearstoshowtrendisindicatedinAppendixD.
Information and Communication Technology Industry
Occupational Cluster
Auditors,Accountantsand §
InvestmentProfessionals
Concern Concern Surplus
Clerical Occupations,
GeneralOfficeSkills
Surplus Concern Surplus
Clerical Supervisors
Concern Concern Shortage
Computerand InformationSystems
Professionals
Concern Concern Surplus
Financeand InsuranceAdministrative
S
Occupations
Concern Concern Shortage
Human Resourcesand BusinessService
Professionals
Concern Concern Surplus
Insuranceand Real EstateSales
Occupationsand Buyers § 6
Concern Shortage Surplus
Labour Market and Economic Indicators Dashboard
Occupational Cluster 2003 2005 2015
LegislatorsandSeniorManagement § g §
Concern Concern Surplus
Library, Correspondenceand
Related Information Clerks § 8 0
Surplus Concern Shortage
LongshoreWorkersand
Material Handlers § 8 0
Concern Concern Surplus
MachineOperatorsand Related
8 0 §
Workers inTextile Processing
Concern Shortage Surplus
Mailand Message Distribution
8 @ 0
Occupations
Concern Concern Shortage
Managers in Communication
8 § §
(except Broadcasting)
Concern Concern Surplus
Managers in Financial and
8 § §
BusinessServices
Concern Concern Surplus
Information and Communication Technology Industry
Occupational Cluster 2003 2005 2015
Managers in ProtectiveService
Concern Concern Surplus
Mechanical, Electricaland Electronics
Assemblers
Concern Concern Surplus
Office EquipmentOperators 5
Surplus Concern Shortage
Policyand Program Officers,
Researchersand Consultants I
Concern Concern Surplus
Recording, Schedulingand Distributing
B
Occupations
Concern Concern Shortage
Salesand ServiceSupervisors B
Concern Concern Shortage
Sales, MarketingandAdvertising
Managers
Concern Concern Surplus
Labour Market and Economic Indicators Dashboard
Occupational Cluster 2003 2005 2015
Secretaries, Recorders
g g g
andTranscriptionists
Surplus Concern Surplus
SecurityGuardsand
g I g
Related Occupations
Concern Concern Surplus
Technical Occupations inArchitecture,
Drafting, Surveyingand Mapping g g g
Surplus Shortage Shortage
TIencfhonrimcaatlioOnccSuypsatteimosnsin Computerand g g g
Surplus Concern Surplus
Technical Occupations in Electronics g g S
and Electrical Engineering
Surplus Shortage Shortage
Transportation Officersand Controllers g § s
Concern Concern Shortage
•
Writing,Translatingand Public
S g S
Relations Professionals
Concern Concern Surplus
Appendices
Labour Market and Economic Indicators Dashboard
Appendix A
Approximately140distinctoccupations5areincludedinthe 12dashboards
AlbertaHumanResourcesandEmploymentprepared. Occupationsselectedare
basedontheNationalOccupationalClassification(NOC) system.TheNOCisa
systemthatclassifiesanddescribesoccupationsintheCanadianlabourmarket.
Occupationsaregroupedbyindustrybasedontheconcentration(percentage
ofthoseworkingintheoccupation) employedinaparticularindustry.
OccupationslistedineachindustrygrouparebasedontheNorthAmerican
IndustryClassificationSystem.Forinstance,theindustrieswhereAutomotive
ServiceTechnicians (NOC732) areconcentratedinclude:RetailTrade(76%),
Transportation(12%),PublicAdministration(3%),Construction(1%),andother
(8%).Accordingtotheseresults,theAutomotiveServiceTechniciansoccupation
wouldappearintheRetailTrade,Transportation,PublicAdministration,and
Constructiondashboards.
The 12industrygroups selectedanddescribedinthedashboardsarealigned
withthesectorshighlightedinthesub-strategiesfromBuildingandEducating
Tomorrow’sWorkforceandarebasedonthekeysectorsprofiledin Understanding
A.lberta’sLabourForce:UookingtotheFuture,aswellastheindustrygroupsusedin
A.lbertaCareers2004.Theselectedindustrygroupsinclude:
IndustryGroup
AgricultureandAgri-Food
1 1
2 Construction
3 Forestry
4 Finance, Insuranceand Real Estate
5 Health Care
6 Informationand CommunicationTechnology(ICT)
7 Manufacturing
8 Mining, OilandGas
9 PublicAdministration
10 RetailTrade
1 1 Tourism
12 Transportation
Notall 140occupationsarelistedinthisparticulardashboard.
