“Workers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers – they know how busy they are. And it’s a daily battle for more money,” said Omond, vice president of Newco Construction in Moncton. Omod says he could hire six carpenters and laborers right now – if he could find them. And without a full team, he says, projects take longer to complete. Like many construction companies in the province, Newco had to adjust its recruitment expectations and attract people with little to no experience. According to a recent survey of 510 Canadian recruiters, one in four employers has hired someone they would not normally have due to a shortage of employees. The survey was conducted between November 10 and December 2, 2021 on behalf of the Express Employment Professionals. Even so, with employers bidding on each other for pay, Omond says it’s very easy to lose employees for a small pay raise elsewhere. “There is simply no more faith,” he said. CLOCKS Why a 4-day work week can be the answer to the employer’s troubles:

Employers see benefits in working 4 days a week

Workers and employers in Canada have found that moving to a four-day workweek leads to less stress and fewer sick days without sacrificing productivity, but may not be an option for all employees. 2:04

Nearly 1 million jobs across Canada

The labor shortage that took off during the pandemic is far from over. According to the Statistics Canada, there were 915,500 vacancies in the fourth quarter of 2021. This is an increase of 63 percent compared to 2020. Vacancies remain vacant for longer, with almost half the vacancies remaining vacant for 60 days. In 2020, 36 percent of jobs remained vacant for such a long time. Some of the more challenging occupations include servers, construction workers and social workers. The Indeed recruitment site also saw a dramatic increase in job postings last year, up 69% on March 18, compared to February 2020. The largest increase in pre-pandemic postings was for jobs in Prairie and Atlantic counties. . Based on the number of posts by employers on this site in March, the top companies they hire include Alberta Health Services, the big five banks and large retailers such as Walmart and Home Depot.

Challenges that may persist, says the economist

Hiring may have become more difficult in recent years, but BDC chief economist Pierre Cléroux says the labor shortage is not primarily a pandemic. “The main reason we have difficulties [recruiting] “It’s because we have an aging population,” he said. Between 2011 and 2021, Statistics Canada data show that the share of Canadians aged 65 and over increased from 14.4 percent to 18.5 percent. To make matters worse, the pandemic has slowed migration over the past two years, fueling labor shortages. CLOCKS Pierre Cléroux describes how companies can adapt to labor shortages:

How can businesses adapt to labor shortages?

With job shortages not going away any time soon, BDC chief economist Pierre Cléroux says it’s time for employers to get creative. 1:02
Cléroux says he expects the recruitment challenges to continue for the next five years, until all baby boomers retire and the job market stabilizes. Meanwhile, he says companies need to find ways to tackle labor shortages and get creative with hiring. The best way to address the shortage is to invest in technology, especially in the field of automation, he said. According to the Bank of Canada Business Outlook Survey for the first quarter of 2022, 42 percent of businesses said they plan to invest more in machinery and equipment. One of the reasons given for this increase in investment was “to alleviate labor-related constraints with productivity improvements.” On the employee side, Cléroux says employers should invest in the training of less experienced workers and take advantage of demographics with higher unemployment rates, such as young people, immigrants and retirees who could work part-time. “It will not go away in a few months, so you need a long-term strategy to tackle this workforce shortage,” he said.

Skills shortages cost billions: report

At the same time, some researchers are looking at the current job market in the light of skills shortages. “What we are seeing is the pace of skills demand from employers and the skills they need are changing faster than our skills training and production systems can keep up,” said Tricia Williams, director of research, assessment and knowledge mobilization at the University. Ryerson. Future Skills Center. Skills vacancies are more pronounced than job vacancies, Williams said, because all job-related tasks change rapidly as more technology integrates into workflows. “[Workers] “They can meet, say, only 60 or 70 percent of the skills required in a job, whereas in the past they may have had 100 percent of the skills required,” he said. CLOCKS Tricia Williams describes the tasks that can not be undertaken by computers:

Tasks that can not be undertaken by computers

Tricia Williams, director of research, assessment and knowledge mobilization at Ryerson University’s Future Skills Center, says automation will not be able to take on tasks that involve human interaction and require human skills. 0:48
This skills shortfall costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars, according to a report by the Conference Board of Canada in partnership with the Future Skills Center. The report estimates that the unrealized value of skills vacancies was $ 25 billion in 2020, up from $ 15 billion in 2015. Williams described the number as “astronomical”, adding that the skills required most are not what people would expect. “These are things that are very anthropocentric skills,” Williams said. “Active listening, critical thinking, social and emotional skills – all things that really relate to how people relate to each other.” And when it comes to the future of work, the types of work that will not be automated are those that require people’s skills, he said. Cléroux agrees that skills mismatch in the labor market fuels the problem. Given the abundance of available and unpaid jobs, he says it is time for governments to shift away from job creation, which has been their focus for decades, and to invest in retaining the evolving workforce. of the labor market. “There is no doubt that the labor market over the next 10 years will be very different,” he said.