Employers have been facing labour shortages for the previous 18 months since the COVID-19 epidemic began. Wednesday’s study adds to the evidence, with over 60% of Canadian businesses reporting that widespread labour shortages are restricting their development. The study, released by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), is based on two polls: one that polled 1,251 Canadian businesses in May 2021 and another of 3,000 Canadian workers conducted in June 2021. According to the BDC’s chief economist, COVID-19 certainly disrupted the Canadian labour market by temporarily shutting off immigration and prompting some employees to quit rather than risk catching the virus on the job.
