In addition to the economic difficulties brought upon by the worldwide recession, Canada is set to suffer from falling numbers in the workforce, as a projected birth-rate crisis plagues economic output.

Between now and 2020, baby-boomer retirements, coupled with declining birth rates, are expected to produce a labour deficit of approximately 1.2 million Canadian workers.

Currently, Canada attracts some 200,000 newcomers to its shores, primarily on skilled migration visas. However, if immigration is to be the answer to Canada’s predicted workforce woes, this number is going to have to double over the coming years.

The largest potential obstacle to Canada attracting increased numbers of skilled migrants into its workforce is the fact that numerous other countries, including the USA, UK and Australia, are also looking to international migration as a means of addressing the economic hardships brought upon by the credit crunch.

Vancouver columnist and immigration expert Andy Radia writes: “Canada can no longer ignore that it's becoming less efficient for us to import people; worldwide demand of the scarce "human resource" will only continue to increase. As a result, governments and businesses must do a better job to encourage the “manufacture” of babies”.