My question is for the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. With over 300,000 jobs going unfilled daily, we are facing a historic shortage of workers in Ontario. In order to ensure that our economy is strong and resilient, we need more skilled workers to fill labour gaps in key sectors. We must welcome more workers who are best positioned to succeed in critical industries where there are significant labour shortages, including construction, health care and technology.

Our government must do everything we can to ensure that we have the workforce that is needed to help build Ontario. Speaker, can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to strengthen Ontario’s workforce?

However, for some newcomers who have already settled in Ontario—and many of them settled in Scarborough–Agincourt—there are barriers that, unfortunately, prevent them from pursuing careers in fields that they are trained for and are eager to work in. Currently, only one in four immigrants is able to continue working in their professions when they come to Ontario. That is why our government needs to show leadership and remove obstacles that make it difficult for qualified individuals to apply for work. It costs our province billions in lost productivity when jobs remain unfilled.

Can the minister please explain how our government is eliminating barriers so that skilled immigrants can pursue employment in their professions?

My question is for the Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity. Our government needs to build a province where every woman and girl is empowered to succeed. This starts with getting more women into jobs than ever before. According to recent employment data regarding women’s labour force participation, the overall employment rate in April significantly increased as compared to pre-pandemic levels. There has been an increase of 415,000 jobs, a large portion of which have been filled by women.

This number demonstrates that the investments and supports put in place by our government are increasing women’s economic security. However, there is still more that needs to be done in advancing equality and economic independence for women.

Speaker, can the associate minister please explain what actions our government is taking to support even greater participation by women in Ontario’s workforce?