Immigration and housing constraints among the key barriers to a stronger Atlantic economy
In 2025, Magnet took our flagship event, Magnet Network Live, on the road. The MNLSpotlight Series convened leaders, innovators, and changemakers in three regions—Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, and Alberta. Each event highlighted local knowledge, partnerships, and innovations shaping the future of work. This piece is part of a series of reflections from Magnet’s leaders on what we learned in each region and what it means for Canada as a whole.
Magnet Network Live’s Spotlight on Atlantic Canada brought together leaders across the region to explore the workforce challenges and opportunities shaping Atlantic Canada’s future. What emerged was a picture of a region confronting demographic pressures, talent shortages, and post-pandemic transitions with creativity, collaboration, and a strong sense of community purpose.
While the discussion centred on Atlantic realities, many of the insights point to models that could help guide national workforce conversations.
Tourism leading workforce innovation
Atlantic Canada’s workforce strategy is being shaped by sectors that understand local realities, including seasonal employment, rural labour markets, and barriers to workforce participation.Tourism organizations, including Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, are advancing innovative solutions such as:
- proactive workforce action plans
- micro credential development
- pilot projects designed for seasonal and rural environments
These efforts are helping address persistent labour shortages while building future workforce capacity.
Expanding the diversity lens
The Women in Resource Development Corporation (WRTC), now Equiforce, shared insights about its rebranding journey, expanding beyond women in trades to a broader mandate on diversity and inclusion.
This shift reinforces a regional strength: embedding equity principles directly into workforce design rather than treating them as add-ons.
Locally tailored solutions, whether seasonal tourism strategies or inclusive training models, offer lessons for other regions facing similar labour challenges.
Skills for growth, and who gets left behind
Participants underscored the need for skills that span digital, technical, and equity focused competencies.
Key themes included:
- preparing for AI and digital adoption
- skills pipelines for large infrastructure and clean growth projects
- retaining workers in rural and seasonal settings
Across sectors, the demand for skills is growing faster than supply, especially outside traditional urban or industrial centres.
This points to a growing need for workforce strategies that combine digital readiness, AI literacy, inclusion and diversity competencies, and sustainability focused skills development
Immigration and housing limit talent retention
Newfoundland and Labrador faces a provincial immigration cap of roughly 2,000 newcomers annually, largely earmarked for healthcare and construction. Tourism and service sectors continue to feel the constraints.
And even when newcomers arrive, retaining them in smaller communities remains a challenge.
In addition, with post pandemic mobility trends, Atlantic provinces are now competing not just with one another but with major cities across Canada. As Des Whelan, Co-Founder of Training Works noted, workers increasingly evaluate opportunities nationally, not provincially.
Structural constraints, including immigration caps, rural housing, and settlement supports, are therefore slowing regional workforce participation.
Aligning immigration pathways with labour market realities, especially for SMEs in tourism and hospitality, where shortages are immediate and structural, consistently emerged as one of the most urgent priorities for the region.
Resilience defines Atlantic Canada’s approach to workforce development
From seasonal workforce planning to inclusive skills development, regional strategies offer national relevance. The Atlantic workforce story is ultimately a story of resilience. Regional leaders are confronting demographic pressures and seasonal labour challenges with unique approaches to training and upskilling the current workforce and by building diversity and equity into training and workforce development.
For more takeaways from MNLSpotlight Atlantic Canada, read the full event report.
Sumentha D’Souza, Director, Operations & Administration
