WHATSAPPThe province of New Brunswick has unveiled a five year Population Growth Strategy with an aim to address its current and future labour market needs. The Strategy focuses on attracting and retaining newcomers to the province and by the year 2024, New Brunswick will be welcoming 7500 immigrants per year. It translates to an intake level equal to almost one percent of the province’s current population. As a result, the number of immigrants living in the province will also be tripled.
The province has witnessed a significant increase in the number of immigrants being admitted to the province in the recent years. Between 2014 and 2017, the number of newcomers to the province increased from 625 to 2291. New Brunswick is also planning to continue this steady growth as part of the Strategy.
The new population strategy further focuses on attracting foreign skilled workers and entrepreneurs with the skills and experience that are in demand in the province’s labour market. Along with that, it also gives importance to creating a favourable environment for newcomers and their families to establish themselves in the province. The province expects to attain a one-year retention rate of 85 per cent by 2024.
New Brunswick is the third largest French-speaking province in Canada after Quebec and Ontario. Currently, almost 34 Percent of New Brunswick population is bilingual, speaking both English and French. In 2018, around 19 percent of newcomers who settled in New Brunswick through New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) were French speaking. As part of the Strategy, the province is planning to increase the intake of French-speaking immigrants by two percent every year.
Further, the strategy focuses on increasing immigration through all available pathways including Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) and the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP). The AIP program, launched in 2017, aims to address the labour market challenges in four Atlantic provinces including New Brunswick. It is estimated that New Brunswick will be having about 120000 job openings by 2027. Of these, around 13000 vacancies will have to be filled with foreign workers.
The new strategy is key for the province to overcome the scarcity of labour by admitting foreign workers, as it is facing a scarcity of skilled labour owing to significant inter-provincial migration loss and decreasing birth rate.
Canada is a great country for immigration as it offers numerous career opportunities and high quality of life. Explore your options to migrate to Canada with CanApprove! Contact us for more information.
