Market News

Manitoba facing the same labour market challenges as Alberta

Manitoba is in dire need of workers - from engineers, and company leaders to grocery store cashiers. Employers across a large swath of the provincial economy are finding it difficult to find the workers they need. Statistics Canada pegged Manitoba\'s June unemployment rate at 3.6 per cent, the lowest in the province\'s history, and just a shade higher than nation-leading Alberta\'s 3.5 per cent. Canada Safeway needs 300 workers right now at its 35 Manitoba stores, says a company spokesman. Small businesses are also affected by a shortage of labour. The president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce said a longtime concern of his organization is that the province has some of the lowest wages in the country. That, he said, doesn\'t bode well for its ability to attract needed workers. However, he said, government must do its part. The province must create a more favourable business climate by reforming taxation policies that now discourage job creation. Source: Winnipeg Free Press - CFIG E-News, July 10, 2006.