Jobs are plentiful, but Canadians don't want to get a job
Canada's labour market is not at its best right now, but potential immigrants can take advantage of that.
Canada's economy is in the process of recovering from the pandemic. Job opportunities are growing and there aren't enough workers for everyone. In June, there were more than 800,000 job openings across the country. The unemployment rate at the same time was 7.5%, significantly higher than it was before the pandemic.
In the election race, both liberals and conservatives have already pledged to help businesses that are struggling to attract new employees. It's not the most talked about topic in the run-up to the election, but companies and analysts are sounding the alarm.
A prime example is the resort village of Mont Tramblanc in the province of Quebec, where, depending on the season, as many as 2,000 to 3,000 people work at a time. But this year, an influx of visitors was greeted by signs that the restaurants were closed and the queues were longer than usual. The reason is a shortage of staff. The general manager of the local Resort Association said the shortage runs into the hundreds of employees. It could get even worse in the fall as part-time students return to school.
The number of open vacancies increased by 22% between May and June this year. The biggest shortages are in catering, health care and retail. The situation is most difficult in Quebec and British Columbia.
Some entrepreneurs blame this situation on the government benefits that were paid to Canadians during the pandemic. Now they have been reduced, but still amount to $300 CAD per week. Because of concerns about a possible fourth wave, the government is proposing to extend the benefits until the end of October.
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