Canadians don't want to work and retire
Canada's ageing workforce is responsible for the country's labour shortage, particularly in large businesses.
Dan Gallagher, Chief Executive Officer at Mikisew Group of Companies in Alberta, which specializes in oil sands services, maintenance, logistics and construction, knows he has more employees nearing the end of their careers than beginners.
The businessman gave an interview with The Canadian Press in which he expressed concern about the ageing workforce at his production facility.
"I walk through our store and through our check-out services, and I clearly see this demographic. It's getting older. We're going to have to have retirement parties soon," Gallagher said.
The company, which specializes in the production of heavy equipment, has long struggled with a shortage of workers. They invite immigrants to work, even from Australia, but there has been little improvement. Older workers are leaving, and there has not been an influx of younger workers for a long time.
Experts estimate that people born between 1946 and 1964 are retiring. From 2016 to 2021, the number was 1.4 million, and in the last year, one in five Canadians aged 55 and older retired.
Patrick Gill, Senior Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's Business Data Lab, noted that there were more than one million vacancies in businesses during the second quarter of 2022. Already 36% of Canadian businesses are in dire need of workers, 45% in the construction industry, and 58% in the housing and food service sector.
The government is looking for ways to keep the ageing generation in the workplace and to strengthen ways to find immigrants with the right skills.
