1. Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:
National Business Survey
Regional Comparison: Atlantic Canada
March 2014

2. Research Details
Survey conducted by: Environics Research Group
Survey methodology:
• Telephone survey conducted among 500 senior officials from Canadian business
• Survey took place from October 25 to November 11, 2013
• Sampling method designed to complete interviews within businesses randomly selected
across Canada
• Results in this document may not add up to 100% (due to rounding or multiple responses as
well as omission of “don’t know” answers)
2

3. Respondents
87
108
105
95
105
British Columbia Prairies Ontario Quebec Atlantic Canada
3: Overview

4. Which industry is your organization in?
26%
8%
12%
9%
4%
6%
3%
5%
2%
0%
3%
4%
3%
4%
3%
2%
5%
2%
0%
24%
12%
8%
8%
7%
6%
4%
4%
3%
3%
3%
3%
3%
3%
2%
2%
2%
1%
1%
Service
Manufacturing
Hospitality
Health care
Education
Retail
Non-profit
Finance
Technology
Public administration
Natural resources
Agriculture
Construction
Entertainment/Recreation
Professional services
Automotive (including repair)
Energy
Transportation/Warehousing
Distribution
Atlantic Canada
National average
4: Overview

5. Including yourself, how many employees does
your company currently have?
50%
36%
3%
4%
7%
46%
22%
4%
7%
19%
<10
10-49
50-99
100-
499
500+
Atlantic Canada
National average
5: Overview

6. Looking ahead to the coming year, what would you say is the
greatest challenge facing Canadian businesses in general?
31%
15%
3%
13%
7%
6%
8%
10%
3%
5%
4%
3%
8%
2%
2%
7%
31%
22%
7%
7%
7%
6%
6%
6%
5%
4%
4%
4%
4%
3%
3%
3%
Shortage of skilled workers
General state of the economy
Foreign competition
Increasing overhead/operation…
Shortage of quality workers…
Regulation/red tape
Financial growth/profitability
Taxes
Retirement of senior employees
Lack of funding/financing
Staff retention (general)
High Canadian dollar
Marketing/attracting new…
Onboarding young workers
Keeping up with technology
Competition (other)
Atlantic Canada
National average
6: Overview

7. To what extent would you say that each of the following
presents a challenge to your business right now?
7: Overview
5%
6%
9%
14%
37%
37%
20%
26%
42%
36%
12%
17%
33%
24%
17%
25%
42%
45%
29%
31%
42%
37%
38%
41%
31%
32%
26%
28%
27%
25%
30%
25%
15%
16%
19%
19%
11%
15%
28%
25%
18%
24%
50%
40%
18%
14%
18%
15%
19%
16%
9%
8%
27%
24%
23%
23%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Atlantic Canada
National average
Atlantic Canada
National average
Atlantic Canada
National average
Atlantic Canada
National average
Atlantic Canada
National average
Atlantic Canada
National average
Very challenging Somewhat challenging Not very challenging Not at all challenging
Loss of senior employees
to retirement
Keeping up with technology
Shortage of skilled workers
Regulation and red tape
General state of the economy
Loss of talented employees
to other organization
Finding young workers

8. Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:
National Business Survey
Recruitment: 7 Questions
8

9. In general, how easy or difficult is it to find people with the
right skill set to fill positions in your company? Is it...?
9: Recruitment
6%
6%
19%
21%
44%
45%
30%
25%
1%
2%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Very easy Somewhat easy Somewhat difficult Very difficult Depends on the position

10. What are the main reasons it is difficult to
find the right candidates?
69%
18%
18%
14%
8%
0%
0%
0%
3%
0%
64%
15%
14%
12%
11%
6%
3%
2%
2%
2%
Hard to find qualified candidates/with right skill set
Hard to find reliable candidates/with right work ethic
Company's physical location is a barrier
Very competitive job market in this industry
We can only offer low/uncompetitive wages
(including seasonal)
Takes too much time/effort to find right candidate
Hard to break through noise/get job/company noticed
Traditional recruitment approaches no longer as effective
Don't provide career advancement opportunities
Regulations/ red tape (e.g. government, unions)
Atlantic Canada
National average
10: Recruitment

11. Has your business done any of the following in the past five
years in order to find skilled employees?
53%
40%
54%
12%
18%
43%
56%
65%
50%
51%
65%
15%
29%
41%
64%
70%
Recruited through social media
Marketed the advantages of working
at your organisation
Offered training and advancement
for lower-level employees
Used automated resume software
Outsourced recruitment to search
or personnel firms
Used community employment agencies
Identified internal candidates
Employee referral
Atlantic Canada
National average
11: Recruitment

12. When searching for skilled employees, would you say that
resumes matter more than in the past, less than in the past
or about the same as always?
12: Recruitment
12%
10%
14%
13%
73%
76%
Atlantic Canada
National average
More Less About the same

13. How important to you is a potential employees
online profile or footprint? Is it...?
13: Recruitment
16%
11%
41%
41%
24%
28%
15%
18%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important

14. And how much effort would you say your company puts into
customizing the recruitment approach in order to reach and
attract members of underrepresented groups?
14: Recruitment
10%
13%
29%
34%
54%
50%
Atlantic Canada
National average
A lot of effort Some effort Not much effort

15. Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:
National Business Survey
Skills Gap: 3 Questions
15

16. There is a gap between the skill level and experience that
prospective employees have, and what organizations in my
industry are looking for…
16: Skills Gap
24%
23%
58%
50%
16%
21%
1%
3%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Strongly agree Somewhat agree
Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree
37%
36%
15%
15%
47%
48%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Increased Decreased Stayed the same
“Strongly Agree/Somewhat Agree”: In the past five
years, would you say that the skills gap in your
industry has increased, decreased or stayed the same?

17. Q16: “Strongly agree/Somewhat agree”
Which of the following statements is closer to your own opinion:
The best way to close the skills gap is for…
17: Skills Gap
45%
43%
9%
43% 43%
13%
...Employers to offer more
training to new employees
...Prospective employees to
better prepare themselves for
the labour market
Both/combination
of the two
Atlantic Region National Average

18. Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:
National Business Survey
Soft Skills: 4 Questions
18

19. What soft skills are most important to you in an employee?
33%
30%
16%
25%
19%
7%
14%
10%
10%
4%
4%
9%
1%
4%
2%
0%
4%
2%
36%
29%
25%
23%
18%
11%
11%
10%
9%
8%
7%
6%
6%
5%
5%
5%
5%
4%
Positive attitude
Communication skills
Teamwork skills
Strong work ethic
Interpersonal/customer service skills
Flexibility/adaptability
Honesty/integrity
Time management abilities
Reliability/dependability
Problem-solving skills
Accountability
Dedication/passion
Self-confidence
Willingness/ability to learn
Goal-oriented
Work well under pressure
Competence/diligence
Presentation
Atlantic Canada
National average
19: Soft Skills

20. How easy or difficult is it to find people
with these soft skills? Is it...?
20: Soft Skills
6%
3%
24%
27%
48%
50%
18%
17%
1%
1%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Very easy Somewhat easy Somewhat difficult Very difficult Depends on position

21. If you are having difficulty finding technically skilled workers,
is your organization more likely to...
21: Skills Gap
69%
27%
4%
62%
26%
9%
Hire someone with soft skills
who is a good fit and provide
training
Keep searching until you find
someone with the right
technical skills
Depends
Atlantic Region National Average

22. Are senior level positions in your organization
more likely to be filled by…?
22: Skills Gap
72%
16%
7%
58%
19%
15%
Current employees who have
advanced within the
organization
New employees brought in
from other organizations
Depends
Atlantic Region National Average

23. Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:
National Business Survey
Training: 8 Questions
23

24. Does your organization provide new employees with any of
the following types of training?
80%
60%
36%
90%
3%
80%
65%
45%
88%
3%
Orientation
Mentorship
Apprenticeship
Job-specific training
Do not offer training
Atlantic Canada National average
24: Training

25. Would you say that your organization is very willing, somewhat
willing, not very willing or not at all willing to hire and train new
employees who may lack in some technical skills?
25: Training
49%
39%
41%
43%
6%
11%
3%
5%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Very willing Somewhat willing Not very willing Not at all willing

26. Would you say that losing skilled employees in which you have
invested training to other organizations is...?
26: Training
25%
25%
30%
39%
25%
21%
20%
14%
Atlantic Canada
National average
A great concern Somewhat of a concern Not really a concern Not at all a concern

27. Does your organization use any of the following
to fill your labour needs?
38%
38%
22%
42%
23%
43%
39%
35%
34%
33%
Co-operative education
programs
Volunteer opportunities
Apprenticeships
Wage subsidy programs
Internships
Atlantic Canada National average
27: Training

28. Does your organization provide ongoing training
for long-standing employees?
28: Training
83%
16%
82%
17%
Yes No
Atlantic Canada
National Region
43%
21%
1%
26%
40%
19%
1%
39%
Technical
Soft Skills
Both
Depends
If “yes”, is the training you provide to staff
technical in nature, or focused on soft
skills, such as team building or diversity
awareness?

29. Does your organization provide employees with professional
development opportunities, such as conferences or workshops?
29: Training
70%
30%
73%
25%
Yes No
Atlantic Region National Average

30. Does your organization offer formal coaching or
mentoring programs for employees?
30: Training
41%
59%
44%
54%
Yes No
Atlantic Region National Average

31. Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:
National Business Survey
Youth Employment: 4 Questions
31

32. Which of the following do you think is the greatest
reason unemployment is particularly high
for young workers under the age of 25?
14%
17%
1%
25%
14%
9%
8%
7%
18%
12%
4%
19%
12%
9%
11%
9%
A lack of real world experience
Older workers staying at their jobs longer
A lack of networking and job search skills
They are too demanding in the job they want
Fewer entry-level jobs available
Lack of soft skills
Lack of technical skills
Lack of communication skills necessary to convey
abilities in an application or interview
Atlantic Canada
National average
32: Youth Employment

33. When recruiting job candidates, how much effort does your
company put into customizing the recruitment approach in order
to reach young workers? Would you say...?
33: Youth Employment
9%
41%
50%
18%
40%
39%
A lot of effort Some effort Not much effort
Atlantic Region National Average

34. Which of the following is your organization doing
to attract younger workers?
45%
46%
38%
24%
23%
25%
20%
16%
55%
49%
38%
34%
31%
29%
24%
20%
Online job sites/boards
Recruiting through social media
Government sites
Recruiting on campuses
Taking part in job fairs
Offering paid internships
Offering unpaid internships
Recruiting through youth-
serving agencies
Atlantic Canada
National average
34: Youth Employment

35. Would you say that hiring and training recent grads and
young adults is part of your organization's
Corporate Social Responsibility?
35: Youth Employment
50%
48%
49%
47%
Yes No
Atlantic Region National Average

36. Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:
National Business Survey
Professional Development: 5 Questions
36

37. Would you say that you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or
strongly disagree with the following statement: Employers have a responsibility
to provide career management programs for their employees.
37: Professional Development
26%
27%
38%
44%
28%
21%
9%
8%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree

38. Does your organization have career
management programs for employees?
38: Professional Development
20%
80%
29%
68%
Yes No
Atlantic Canada
National Region
38%
19%
24%
14%
19%
5%
5%
29%
25%
19%
18%
16%
14%
9%
Individually tailored
training/coaching
Career planning/training/
education
Succession/
advancement programs
Skills development
programs
Mentorship/
apprenticeship programs
Education
reimbursement/training
encouragement
Leadership programs
If “yes”, what are they?

39. Of the following, which presents the greatest challenge to
offering career management programs? Is it...?
33%
43%
16%
5%
0%
33%
45%
13%
4%
2%
Cost
Time
Lack of expertise
None of the above
Not our responsibility
Atlantic Canada
National average
39: Professional Development

40. How important would you say it is to your organization to provide
employees the opportunities to reach their own career goals?
Is it...?
40: Professional Development
48%
44%
37%
42%
7%
6%
7%
5%
Atlantic Canada
National average
Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important

41. Career Development in the Canadian Workplace:
National Business Survey
Please visit the CERIC website at ceric.ca to download the
National Business Survey Executive Summary
(available in English and French) and related information
as it becomes available.
41