Full Professor Christopher Worswick was invited by radio station 980-CKNW in Vancouver to appear on The Mike Smyth Show, hosted by Jody Vance, to discuss the new special draws of immigrants with experience on the skilled trades. Professor Worswick pointed out that this would be fine so long as the immigrants elected are highly skilled likely to have earnings in Canada above the national average. Professor Worswick also discussed how immigrants in the trades could both help the supply of housing but will also add to the demand for housing, meaning that the net effect on housing affordability is unclear. Issues with permitting for new housing developments mean that the supply effect could be small.
Professor Worswick has a recent paper that relates to this topic for further reading:
Doyle, Matthew & Skuterud, Mikal & Worswick, Christopher, 2023. “The economics of Canadian immigration levels,” CLEF Working Paper Series 58, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.
To listen to the full interview, click here.