The expansion of the Ómicron variant is exacerbating the labor shortage in Canada

Lack of human talent is not a new phenomenon in Canada.
A good portion of immigration programs have historically been created to meet such a need.

However, the conditions of the Govt-19 epidemic and the continuing closures for trade make today’s perspective all the more important. A recent study by the Federation of Canadian Free Trade Associations found that 55% of its members do not have the staff needed to run their businesses.

This situation has largely disappeared in the hotel industry, restaurants and businesses.

After the advent of the corona virus that forced the country to close, activities classified as “essential” forced many of those who worked in these services to relocate to other types of jobs that they did not want today. The same situation must be repeated for fear of recurrence.

“Businesses that have been closed for a long time have seen mass layoffs as employees have changed skills or jobs. Almost every industry faces major demographic challenges where there are not enough new people to replace retirees.”

This was explained by Simon Goddard, Vice President of Free Trade in Canada.

In order to prevent this trend, companies are raising their salaries. According to the union, more than 80% of affiliates have increased their salaries, but the success rate is 31%.

That is, three of the five businesses that raised wages failed to attract qualified applicants. At the same time, the Ontario government raised the minimum hourly wage from $ 14.35 to $ 15. It is the income that a worker usually earns in business and restaurants.

The origin of the Omicron variant and its spread, as well as the actions to be taken by both federal and provincial governments, give reason for those who make the decision to permanently change their operation, and worse. Fewer individuals need to start their working careers in this business. Due to the new variant, today Ontario restaurants operate only to homes, while the capacity of stores is again low.

Added to this is the high rate of infections facing the country. Canada reports nearly 40,000 cases every day, and its testing capacity is low. Therefore, many workers do not come to work because they have a virus or are suspected of having it, which further increases the difficulty in accessing human skills.

This shortage has forced Canadian businessmen to delay or reject orders, adding to the uncertainty over what the growth of the economy will be in 2022. He is the chairman of one of the most important banks in the country, said Omigron. Variation makes it harder to make economic forecasts as Canada struggles with rising Govt-19 hospitals, staff shortages and new locking operations.

“Failure to forecast is not a sign that we are not worried, there is a problem with forecasting. I think growth will slow to 4.5% to 1.5% in the first quarter, but it should start in the second quarter. So we still see a year of GDP growth of more than 4% in Canada.” Said Dave McKay, President and CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada.

By the end of the third quarter of 2021, the number of vacancies in Canada had reached 912,600. The health sector, which plays a key role in tackling the corona virus outbreak, is beginning to show almost double the number of vacancies compared to the 2019 numbers. The procedures and verification requirements of the titles for these professions make it even more difficult to fill. These missing positions with immigrants, which is why reform is demanded so that these processes are expedited.