Young workers could alleviate Canada's labour shortage, but they need help

"Many of our country's entrepreneurs and job creators are small business owners in the skilled trades," added Emilie Hayes, CFIB's policy analyst and co-author of the report. "We shouldn't stigmatize those jobs and turn young people off from them. Our workforce today and in the future will need tradespeople as much as it needs tech workers and white collar professionals."

Small business owners are eager to hire young workers and willing to invest in training them, provided they have the right attitude and soft skills. However, hiring and training inexperienced workers is more costly for employers than hiring experienced workers and that cost is going up due to payroll tax increases and minimum wage hikes.

Governments and schools must create more work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities, such as co-ops and internships, especially in sectors experiencing labour shortages. Governments can further improve the accessibility of WIL opportunities and encourage more small businesses to take on inexperienced workers by offsetting the cost of hiring through measures like coop tax credits or a holiday on Employment Insurance premiums for young employees.

"Helping young people transition into the workforce and connect with meaningful work is an investment in the future of our economy. Governments, schools, employers and young people all have a part to play," concluded Pohlmann. About CFIB The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members across every sector and region. Learn more at cÀb.ca.