
Labour shortage hampering post-pandemic recovery for businesses in Canada, study finds
CBC
It's almost October, but crews at Romaniuk Heating and Air Conditioning will be installing air conditioners in Edmonton for several more weeks.
The company has a backlog of orders largely because it's struggled for months to find enough workers as business boomed during the pandemic.
The situation has been so dire, it's pulling in crews from Ontario to help in Alberta and British Columbia.
"We've tripled our crews. We recruit constantly," said Collin Goodyear, the company's general manager in Alberta.
"This past week, we've probably hired about eight people locally."
According to Statistics Canada's latest job vacancy data, the labour shortage is widespread across the country in several different sectors of the economy — despite a national unemployment rate above seven per cent. The inability to find enough workers is hampering the post-pandemic economic recovery.
In the hospitality industry, for example, food service bosses are trying to tempt back workers who left during the pandemic with profit-sharing, bonuses and health benefits, among other perks.