Labour shortage to impede SME investing in 2019: BDC

Canadian small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) expect their investing in 2019 will be curbed by a shortage of qualified labour, according to a survey by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). BDC's fourth annual investment intentions report found the labour shortage to be the top barrier to investing. Other impediments include insufficient cash flow and economic uncertainty. Overall SME optimism remains stable, with 73 percent of the 4,024 business owners surveyed expecting their revenue to grow this year. Four in 10 SMEs plan to devote all or some of their investing to new technologies.