Large share of Canadian SMEs face labour shortages: BDC

A study by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) found 39 percent of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face challenges finding new employees. The labour shortage, which is most acute in Atlantic Canada, British Columbia and Ontario, and in the manufacturing, retail trade and construction sectors, is not expected to improve for at least a decade. The study, based on a survey of 1,208 entrepreneurs, also found SMEs affected by labour shortages are 65 percent more likely to generate low sales. Among the strategies used to locate talent, SMEs were least likely to consider hiring immigrants.

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