A recent survey done by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce shows that job creation and retention are the biggest concerns for businesses in the province.
In the 2019 Manitoba Business Outlook Survey, only a quarter of businesses said that they are likely to take on a new hire next year.
While that may be the trend in the province, Stephen Chychota, Executive Director of the Dauphin and District Chamber of Commerce, says that the picture in the area is a little better.
“We’ve got our own survey out right now, and some of our businesses are seeing that they’d want to hire someone new in the next 12 months,” said Chychota. “So there’s some optimism there that they’re either expanding or have opportunities available for some people.”
While it isn’t clear how many businesses in the area filled out the provincial survey, Chychota is hoping that some did because he says that surveys are important to help gauge where a business is at.
“They’re super important, they help gauge what the Manitoba Chamber, provincially is going to go after. They’re going to have a good sense as to what businesses are looking for and what their areas of needs are,” said Chychota. ‘The surveys also help to know what businesses are excelling at, and then the Manitoba Chamber knows exactly where to put the focus on.”
The concerns over job creation and retention are nothing new, and Chychota says it all starts with education.
“The MCC has been doing a lot of work trying to make sure that colleges are equipping their students with the right skills, and the right courses, and trying to make a better-skilled worker coming out of school,” explained Chychota. “There is an opportunity to be had at a provincial level to help with education because it’s growing those workers from the start to when they go into the job market.”
Chychota went on to say that the fact that Manitoba ranks lowest in math and science test scores, and second-last in reading skills in the country, does not help employability in the workforce and that the best way to look at those results is to realize that Manitoba has nowhere to go but up.
The 2019 Manitoba Business Outlook Survey results are available online for anyone wanting to take a look, and the Dauphin Chamber’s survey can be found on their Facebook page.
