Manitoba business labour shortage: Study
More skilled workers needed in the province
MICHAEL OLSON STAFF
PHOTO: DAVID IAN LIPNOWSKI
According to a recent survey, nearly three-quarters of Manitoba businesses are having difficulty hiring skilled workers.
An October Probe Research Inc. survey of 200 Manitoba business leaders revealed that 72 per cent of employers are being hard-pressed to find skilled employees — an all-time high. This is up from 52 per cent in 2004.
When business leaders were asked what the greatest challenge facing their company was for the next year, 42 per cent said labour shortages. In 2005 only 26 per cent cited labour shortages as the greatest challenge.
“Young people have all sorts of choices in front of them, and some of the choices are not in Manitoba,” said Chuck Davidson, vice-president of policy and communications at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
One of the major factors for the labour shortage seems to be increased pressure from other cities and provinces.
“Other provinces and cities are becoming a lot more aggressive in letting Manitoba workers know about the opportunities and the options that are out there,” said Davidson. “We need to be just as aggressive in looking at bringing in workers from out of the province.”
Moreover, 42 per cent of businesses stated that the positions that have proved most difficult to fill are those classified as “skilled labour.” However, workers are needed in a plethora of fields including nursing, carpentry, butchers, and civil engineers.
In order to find new employees, the majority of the 200 business leaders told Probe Research that businesses should be focusing on the recruitment of immigrants and youth in Manitoba.
In November, the provincial government announced the framework for a tuition rebate program, intended to keep post-secondary graduates in the province by rebating up to 60 per cent of tuition for up to six years. When the survey asked what Manitoba should do to help minimize the worker shortage, one-quarter of respondents stated that they felt lower taxes are needed; 19 per cent felt that minimum wage needed to be increased.
“When businesses have more tax dollars in their pockets rather than governments’ pockets, they have the ability to reinvest in their businesses . . . and to allow them to grow, to expand, and to be able to create jobs,” said Davidson. “There’s a real correlation between lowering taxes, increasing wages, and keeping people in this province.”
The University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business seeks to take direct aim at the labour shortage with its newly implemented co-operative education program. Through the program, students are placed with local and national employers who sign on to offer students valuable business experience and mentorship.
“We’re here to help,” said Leah Bannister, co-op program coordinator. “Essentially, what we are doing is freeing up students to work; we’re offering another labour pool that is skilled and educated in the fundamentals of business.”
According to Statistics Canada’s 2006 population report, 22,850 Manitobans moved to other provinces in 2006, while 14,215 Canadians moved to Manitoba. Overall, the province’s population increased by 3.1 per cent, largely because 8,884 people immigrated to Manitoba last year. (Alberta’s record-high interprovincial migration, 57,100 people, helped that province’s population to grow 29.5 per cent.) Alberta’s minimum wage is $7an hour compared to the $7.60 required in Manitoba.
“This is getting to a critical stage in Manitoba,” said Davidson. “If we are not able to find some solutions to these workforce issues, it could have a dramatic impact on the economy in Manitoba.”
