I think skilled trade workers have specialty skills too, and so you often may need certification of some kind. If you're an immigrant who may be a qualified carpenter and you don't have a paper for Canada, you might have to go to community college for a refresher and get your certificate, or go through an apprenticeship. We have the means to bring these things about, to make supply more equal to demand, but the sorts of skilled workers who can create an app for your bank have a whole other set of skills. I hear about vacancies in skilled trades, and it's understandable given the infrastructure spending and a busy housing sector and so on. Those skilled trades matter a great deal, but they're not a giant leap away from many of the other jobs that are under pressure, in manufacturing and so on. What I like about the skilled trades is that it's possible for re-skilling to happen in a relatively short time. I'm optimistic that with the right dynamics and economy, we'll get there.
On April 23rd, 2018. See this statement in context.