Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 3126 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE DE LA TECHNOLOGIE DE L’INFORMATION ITAC on Talent | Page 1 THE VOICE OF THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) SECTOR IN CANADA | www.itac.ca Introduction: Talent Globally, talent—or lack thereof—is the single biggest issue standing in the way of Chief Information Officers achieving their objectives in today’s digital economy.1 Unfortunately, talent management practices are not keeping up with the ever-increasing and changing needs of the digital world. The shortage of skilled ICT talent in the technology sector is a major issue hampering the growth of innovative companies in Canada. Meanwhile, our nation’s long- standing skills gap amongst ICT workers continues to widen. In fact, by 2019, Canada will need 182,000 ICT (Information and Communications Technology) workers— with an additional 36,000 required just one year later. This prediction does not include emerging occupations or disruptive technology fields.2 Canada is not alone in experiencing a skills gap. The European Commission anticipates a shortfall of 825,000 ICT positions by 2020; and the United States Labor Department forecasts 1.4 million computer specialist job openings by 2020—with domestic universities being unable to keep up with this demand.3 Canada has the potential to become a leader in the global digital economy. To do so, the Government must act swiftly to create, attract, and retain the talent of tomorrow’s economy. This requires continued focus on developing skills locally, while attracting talent globally. Therefore, ITAC recommends the following policy changes and considerations as part of the Government’s Innovation Agenda consultations. Solving the Problem Domestically To solve the skills gap within Canada, greater emphasis must be placed on three things: recognizing and improving upon gender diversity issues in ICT, offering more skills training options to youth, and updating the categorization and collection of employment data. Women in ICT Women are one of the most underrepresented groups within Canada’s ICT sector—as workers, and as leaders. In fact, the level of engagement of women in ICT has remained stagnant at around 25% for the last decade.4 This consequently stifles Canada’s economic growth, as numerous studies have demonstrated that women’s economic opportunity is good for business.5 Studies also show that companies benefit from gender diversity in leadership positions, with more diversity TO COMPETE TO WIN in the next phase of the global digital revolution, Canada must take bold steps now to lay the right foundation. The Innovation Agenda presents an incredible opportunity for the current government to make substantive policy changes—thereby benefiting all Canadians by growing our economy and ensuring continued prosperity for our country. The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) has identified four fundamental priorities that must be addressed by government in order for the Innovation Agenda to succeed: Modern Digital Economy, Trade and Competitiveness, Modern Digital Government, and Talent and Skills Development. This is the final of ITAC’s Innovation Papers, a four-part series that: • provides insight into the state of Canada’s digital economy, and • offers recommendations to enable Canada’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to reach its world-class potential. Together with industry, ISED and all government stakeholders can build an Innovation Agenda that works for Canada. 1 https://www.gartner.com/imagesrv/cio/pdf/cio_agenda_insights_2016.pdf 2 ICTC, Digital Talent: Road to 2020 and Beyond, A National Strategy to Develop Canada’s Talent in Global Digital Economy, page 8. 3 ICTC, Digital Talent: Road to 2020 and Beyond, A National Strategy to Develop Canada’s Talent in Global Digital Economy, page 8. 4 Gender Diversity of Boards of Directors of Canadian ICT Companies, report by Karen Wensley for the Information Technology Association of Canada, July 2013, page 1 5 United Nations Women, Fact and Figures, http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ economic-empowerment/facts-and-figures#notes