Keep calm and train skilled manufacturing workers in spite of tariffs: report

CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 1:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

U.S. tariffs connected Canadian imports whitethorn lend to unemployment successful the abbreviated term, but Ontario's manufacturing assemblage inactive stands to turn long-term, and overmuch much needs to beryllium done to marque definite Canada has capable workers with the skills to bash the jobs. 

That's the connection of a caller study from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters titled Keep Calm and Keep Training.

Canada's automotive assemblage whitethorn beryllium nether unit from U.S. tariffs, said the organization's president and CEO, Dennis Darby. But the state is simply a large shaper of nutrient products, machinery, chemicals and lipid and gas, and caller investments successful EV and artillery accumulation contiguous immense opportunities.

"We deliberation determination could beryllium a cardinal radical moving successful manufacturing by … 2035," Darby said.

The assemblage employed conscionable implicit 830,000 radical successful 2024.

The study draws accusation from 2 surveys of manufacturers conducted successful December 2024 and January done March 2025.

Focus connected acquisition funding

"The large penetration was determination conscionable nether 30,000 radical a twelvemonth are going to discontinue retired of the assemblage implicit the adjacent 8 years," Darby said.

"And we are surely not successful a large presumption close present to beryllium capable to regenerate each of those folks."

It recovered that adjacent successful southwestern Ontario, which is heavy exposed to the effects of the U.S. commercialized war, respondents cited shortages of immoderate skilled trades people.

"While this unit volition abate to an grade arsenic the short-term interaction of tariffs is felt, wide concerns with the aging of manufacturing workers item the request for semipermanent determination coordination," it read.

The study touches connected a fig of threats to the sector's workforce – economical unpredictability, accomplishment shortages and backing constraints astatine colleges and universities – and identifies a scope of imaginable solutions.

Those included much incentives for apprenticeship programs; much vulnerability to trades successful precocious schools; amended collaboration betwixt manufacture and post-secondary institutions; much grade offerings, specified arsenic mechatronics; much seats successful assemblage apprenticeship programs and attracting workers from underrepresented groups.

But a large absorption is backing for education, peculiarly astatine the secondary and post-secondary levels – wealth to grow programs, put successful precocious tech instrumentality and make much seats. 

There is besides a telephone for much incentives for apprenticeship programs.

Economist Jim Stanford, the manager of the Vancouver-based Centre of Future Work, said the report's absorption connected continued grooming makes consciousness due to the fact that arsenic Canada navigates done the instability caused by the Trump administration, it volition request the champion workforce possible.

Employers request to bash their part

And helium said helium afloat supports governments playing a bigger relation successful it.

But helium said employers besides request to bash their share, including paying firm taxes.

"You know, it's ever ironic erstwhile concern groups who are perpetually demanding taxation cuts and different forms of incentives are besides saying, 'Government, you indispensable measurement up your enactment for colleges and universities,'" helium said.

"Yes, we request that support. And everyone, including companies, has to wage their just stock toward it."

CBC News reached retired to the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security for a effect to the report.

Among different things, we asked whether the authorities intended to summation post-secondary backing and code the petition for backing for precocious tech grooming equipment.  

The property caput for Minister Nolan Quinn replied with an emailed connection saying the ministry continues to guarantee Ontario has the highly skilled workforce needed to thrust economical growth.

"As our latest measurement to support Ontario, we're investing implicit $800 cardinal to money quality STEM and skilled trades seats astatine colleges and universities crossed the province, gathering connected past year's historical $1.3 cardinal concern and the $5 cardinal we lend annually to station secondary acquisition – strengthening the pipeline of highly skilled workers to thrust our system crossed our captious sectors, including manufacturing," Bianca Giacoboni said.

"We're besides expanding the Skills Development Fund by astir $1 cardinal to enactment workers impacted by U.S. tariffs, supply in-demand occupation training, assistance employers up-skill staff, and [create] new, innovative partnerships betwixt manufacture and station secondary [institutions]."