2023-06-30 03:26:09
Hiring plans for Canadian contractors are down, pointing to a possible economic downturn, according to a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). However, the trend is less pronounced in Quebec, where the labor shortage is greater.
Only 18% of respondents plan to hire staff in the next three to four months. This compares to 22% in May 2023. “Summer is generally a time when hiring is more important in seasonal sectors”, underlines in an interview the director of the economy at the CFIB, Andreea Bourgeois. “Summer is a busy season for hospital services or recreation. »
Demand for workers is more resilient in Quebec, where 26% of respondents say they will hire. Moreover, 54% of Quebec entrepreneurs still believe that the lack of qualified workers limits their sales. The proportion is 48% for the search for unskilled workers. “The situation is increasingly difficult, both for the recruitment of personnel and for the profit margin,” comments a Quebec retailer quoted in the report.
Quebec is much more affected by the shortage of skilled and unskilled labour, agrees Ms. Bourgeois. “There has been a small improvement [du côté de la disponibilité de main-d’oeuvre], but the situation was so much worse in Quebec that we would have to see figures much lower than that to speak of an improvement. »
Some 45% of Canadian SME owners believe that the lack of skilled workers is a barrier to their success. This is the lowest rate observed for two years.
In June, the confidence index of SME owners in Quebec stood at 51.2 points over a 12-month horizon. An index above 50 indicates that there are more entrepreneurs who say that their business is benefiting from a favorable trend than those who say they are in an unfavorable situation.
On the other hand, the Confidence Index tends to be above 60 points when the economy is at its full potential, specifies Ms. Bourgeois. “A threshold of 51.2 points is very low. »
When questioned regarding their current situation, 50% of entrepreneurs in Quebec believe that their situation is good, compared to 12% who describe it as bad. “It’s very difficult to keep prices competitive with all the price increases and the cost of transportation. In addition, to protect yourself from cyberattacks, you have to spend crazy prices on computers, ”comments a Quebec wholesaler quoted in the report.
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