1. FLMM 2005 LMI Forum Knowing and Growing: The Role of Labour Market Information in Advancing Economic Prosperity Plenary 2 - Panel Discussion Tough Decisions: Responding to Canada’s Labour Market Challenges Remarks by Karen Jackson, ADM Workplace Skills Branch, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada November 8, 2005.

2. Purpose Outline the Government of Canada’s Workplace Skills Strategy. Anchor Labour Market and Skills Information as a foundation piece of the Strategy. Underscore the importance of partnerships and collaboration in LMI

3. What is driving a Workplace Skills Strategy? Powerful forces are changing our labour market and impacting human capital development. Key drivers: Ageing and demographics are changing the size and composition of our labour force. Technology is changing work processes and skills requirements across all occupations. Globalization is exposing Canadian firms to new sources of competition and new pressures to innovate (China, India)

4. Workplace Skills Strategy: Objectives Build a flexible, efficient labour market. Develop a skilled, adaptable and resilient workforce. Respond to the needs of employers to help make Canadian workplaces more productive and innovative.

5. Workplace Skills Strategy: Priorities Promoting workplace skills investments Promoting skills recognition and utilization Promoting partnerships, networks, and information

6. Workplace Skills Strategy: The Role of Information The Workplace Skills Strategy recognizes the need for solid information to achieve its objectives. Diagnostics show that achieving these objectives will depend on strengthening our capacity to: provide and sustain standardized foundational data and framework tools to support consistency and comparability across Canada; forecast future occupational and skills supply and demand trends at regional and national levels; raise awareness of, and access to, free, public, quality pan- Canadian content, products and services;

7. Responding to these challenges under the Workplace Skills Strategy We are working closely with our partners on: Data and information gaps - to identify, preserve and strengthen core national data and frameworks. Analytical methods and practices - to review the quality of existing national and regional analytical and forecasting efforts. Forecasting tools - to review the scope for increasing the regional content of forecasts. Outreach - to deliver seamless, integrated and cost-effective services, harmonized across regions and jurisdictions to meet the needs of employers, workers and job seekers.

8. Employers and Workers: Increase and target skills investments and engage in better human resources planning and management. Evidence indicates employers do not have or use information needed to make decisions: Do we know what they need and use? What best practices and lessons learned already exist? What can our partners tell us?

9. Workplace Skills Initiative Trades and Apprenticeship Immigrant Credential Recognition and Integration Labour Mobility Sectoral Strategies How information can better support initiatives…

10. Moving Forward Together Many accomplishments achieved to-date through partnerships. Collaboration will be key if we want to continue building on our accomplishments. Continue collectively to strengthen our information for informed decision-making.