The labour shortage isn’t over — and employers are having to lower their hiring expectations

April 7, 2022

Rick Omond’s construction company in New Brunswick has given three pay raises over the last year and a half as it tries to hold on to workers in the midst of a record labour shortage.

“Workers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers — they know how busy it is. And it’s a daily battle that they’re looking for more money,” said Omond, the vice-president of Newco Construction in Moncton.

Omond says he could hire six carpenters and labourers right now — if he could find them. And without a full team, he says, projects are taking longer to complete.

Like many construction companies in the province, Newco has had to adjust its hiring expectations and bring on people with little to no experience.

According to a recent survey of 510 Canadian hiring decision-makers, one in four employers have hired someone they normally wouldn’t have due to a shortage in workers. The survey was conducted between Nov. 10 and Dec. 2, 2021 on behalf of staffing agency Express Employment Professionals.

Even so, with employers outbidding each other on pay, Omond says it’s really easy to lose workers for a slight pay bump elsewhere. “There’s just no loyalty anymore,” he said.

Source: CBC News