The revival of SMEs was hampered by labor shortages

A study released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) on Tuesday found that half of Quebec SMEs face significant labor shortages affecting the province and that this is becoming a major obstacle to their economic recovery at the beginning of the decontamination.

Nearly 63% of SME employers surveyed said they had difficulty finding qualified candidates for full-time positions.

“We have warned that labor shortages will worsen once we return to normalcy.

Catering is one of the most affected sectors due to lack of manpower like manufacturing sector, services or construction.

A large percentage (67%) of these companies want to find production staff or merchants. Technical or administrative staff (38%), sales staff (33%) and other professionals (22%) are also requested.

Many factors can explain this shortage, such as SMEs having difficulty receiving candidates’ expectations, competition from large companies and a lack of work in the regions.

“The government should reduce barriers in terms of skills and reduce the number of candidates available and give small businesses ways to attract the talent needed for their growth,” Vincent said.

The CFIB particularly suggested that action be taken on Quebec immigration to attract new talent to the province, but also to reduce the tax burden on SMEs.

The CFIIB online survey of 736 members was conducted between April 8 and April 30.