Now that we’re heading to Calgary, I’m taking more of an interest in Alberta’s current affairs. Reading today’s online edition of the Calgary Herald I find news that, on the face of it, seems good – but in the long term might be bad.The Conference Board of Canada is predicting labour shortages in Alberta will worsen over the next 20 years.
For someone looking for work – like me – and who may eventually have children looking for work, this seems like good news. On the other hand, if it hinders Alberta’s economy long-term, it’s bad news.
In more detail, The Conference Board estimates Alberta’s annual shortfall of workers will reach 332,000 by 2025 if current trends continue.
The Board suggests several solutions to Alberta’s labour shortage, including attracting more immigrants, wider recognition of foreign credentials, better training programs and more labour mobility agreements with other provinces.
Certainly the first two of these proposed solutions sound good to me.
With my current interest in immigration matters, I noticed that the US Senate has passed a bill to ramp up annual employment-based immigration from 140,000 to 650,000. This category of immigration allows permanent residency in the United States.
Given that American wages tend to be higher than Canadian wages, I’m sure the Canadian government is not exactly pleased about this news.
Countries like the USA, Canada and Australia compete with one another for skilled migrants and I’m sure Canada and Australia will suffer if the United States adopts these new immigration targets.
The cynic in me also wonders whether there might be ulterior motives on the part of the USA for increasing their quota of skilled migrants so much. I believe the answer is yes.
I would imagine large numbers of skilled people will be sucked out of India and China into the USA.
Whose economy will benefit from a large increase in skilled workers? The USA’s.
Whose economies will suffer from the depletion of their most skilled and talented people? China’s and India’s.
I believe the USA may be out to sabotage the economic growth of its potential rivals India and, especially, China.
The United States can offer much higher wages than these upcoming economies – for the moment.
While this situation persists, the USA will use its attractiveness as a migrant-destination to hinder India and China’s economic development by poaching large numbers of their most economically productive and most innovative workers.
We invited my parents to a meal yesterday and my wife’s parents came this evening. My parents have accepted that we’re emigrating. I can’t say they’re dancing and singing in the streets with joy about it, but they have accepted it. There was no attempt to dissuade us.
My parents are very good that way. They’ve always (since I left school) had a philosophy of not trying to interfere in any decisions I’ve taken. They see it as my life and I’ve got to live it as I see fit.
We had a much harder time from my wife’s parents – particularly her mother. They are treating the issue as one of rejection – their daughter (thankfully they didn’t try to blame me – yet) is moving a long way away from them – obviously she can’t love them, etc, etc. It was a pretty harrowing evening.
All I can say is I’m glad we’re making the move sooner rather than later. It will mean fewer opportunities for the emotional blackmail that I’m sure her parents are plotting, even as I type. At least we’ve got it over with. Our employers and both of our parents both know what we are going to do. Now all we’ve got to do is sell our house, ship our furniture, move to Canada, try to get jobs and start a whole new life.
What an interesting day it’s been.
We both did the deeds we had said we would – we resigned. I hadn’t spoken to anyone at work before about the possibility of emigrating, so I knew it was going to be a surprise.
I made an appointment with my boss in his office and – like a naughty boy going to see the headmaster – turned up at the allotted time. I was surprisingly nervous – I’ve never resigned before – and it was an odd feeling. I’ve always done my best at work – never shirked – and it seemed a bit disloyal to be resigning. I knew it wasn’t really disloyal – employees come, employees go – but that’s still how it felt at the time. I told him my news – we had decided to emigrate and I’d like to give my notice. He nodded. It was all very calm and matter of fact.
Then – wonder of wonders – he said he doesn’t blame me for emigrating. Scotland / the UK – call it what you will – is “going down the pan at a rapid rate of knots” he said – and if it wasn’t for his family situation, he’d be doing the same thing himself!
So, in the end, it was a much easier experience than I thought it would be. He says he’ll be happy to give me a very good reference to any employer in Canada who asks, and he wished me the best of luck for the future.
I got the same reaction from most of the people I told – they thought we were doing exactly the right thing and they wished they were emigrating too. One or two people were a bit put out – they seemed to think we were committing some sort of act of treason against Scotland by leaving. I suppose it takes all sorts.
Tomorrow’s the next tough step, telling my parents that we’re moving several thousand miles away from them. The emigration business is certainly a tough experience emotionally, if nothing else!
We took the decision today. We are going to go to Canada. We already had been granted permanent residence in Canada, using the points system for skill workers. We just didn’t know whether to go or not.
We are going to resign from our jobs tomorrow!
In August, we’re heading to Calgary, Alberta. Are we mad? Perhaps we are, leaving secure jobs in Edinburgh for the promise of skies that aren’t cloudy all day – the big skies of the Canadian prairies. Maybe it’s a mid-life crisis issue – reaching the age of 40 last year made us consider our futures very seriously. It seems now a bit like Tom Good, on the Good Life, feeling that he’d reached the age of 40 without being satisfied with what he had done in life – wanting to experience a different kind of life.Well, a different type of life is what we’re committed to now – moving from Edinburgh, Scotland (daily max 6 degC, min 1 degC in January and daily max 18 degC, min 12 degC in July) to Calgary, Canada (daily max -3 degC, min -15 degC in January and daily max 23 degC, min 9 degC in July).
The winter temperatures look alarming at first sight – but it shouldn’t be too bad, if there isn’t a fierce wind blowing. The fact that we both enjoy downhill and cross country skiing helps – we won’t be stuck indoors all winter in Canada – we’ll be out enjoying all that snow and sunshine.
Yes, Calgary is sunny in winter, unlike Edinburgh where you can go long periods without seeing the sun. Calgary gets 2,400 hours of sunshine every year compared with the 1,400 we are used now. 1,000 extra hours of sunny weather a year for hiking, skiing and generally getting out an about – sounds fantastic.
It’s an exciting time and tomorrow comes the crunch – resignation day.