WINNIPEG —
New numbers out of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce show that hiring and retaining staff is a top problem for many Manitoba businesses.
The 2019 Manitoba Business Outlook Survey, which spoke to members, partners, and contacts of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, is aimed at surveying the economic climate, identifying confidence levels and shaping policy.
The survey found 27 per cent of business leaders said their key challenge over the next 12 to 18 months is hiring and retaining qualified workers, with 10 per cent citing economic uncertainty, and 8 per cent saying access to capital.
“Our survey results weren’t shocking, but they were revealing in that they seem to indicate a real challenge ahead regarding job creation,” said Chuck Davidson, president, and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, in a news release.
Davidson noted there’s still work to be done when it comes to job creation in Manitoba, given that about 40 per cent of those surveyed anticipate little to no revenue growth from their businesses in 2019, and only around 25 per cent think they will add staff next year.
Despite these concerns, more than 70 per cent of respondents said they believe the province’s economy, labour market, and government program and policies are headed in the right direction, and nearly 80 per cent said they feel optimistic about how their business will perform over the next two years.
The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce retained Leger Market Research to conduct the survey, which was completed by 400 people. The research was conducted online, so the sample is considered non-probability and margins of error aren’t applicable. According to the report from Leger Market Research, “a probability sample of a survey size with this sample frame theoretically carries a confidence interval of approximately +/-4.7 percent, 19 times out of 20.”
A full copy of the survey results can be found online.
