Human resource development and planning in the Canadian software sector

This paper describes the Canadian human resources development and planning (HRDP) system in the software sector. The author broadly defines this system as that which facilitates the meeting of labour supply and demand. The paper begins with a brief history of the development of the software sector and a review of the most commonly used definitions in current research on the sector. The following section draws on available sectoral data to devise a labour market profile and set the context for the analysis of the key components of the system, the education and training system that provides initial and continuous vocational training, and the role of employers in attracting and retaining software workers. The labour market profile is comprised of employment levels, the nature of the employment opportunities and contracts, income, the skills required in the profession, the demographic profile of workers, and the reported shortage of workers to meet industry needs. The examination of the HRDP system reveals some problem areas centred around the training provided by the education and training system, the capacity of educational institutions, the quality of career guidance provided to students, unemployed and self-employed contract workers, and the practices of firms in attracting and retaining workers. However, as a result of cooperation between stakeholders associated with the various sections of the HRDP system, many new initiatives are underway that could improve the system.

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