Edmonton employers are having such a hard time finding enough workers, even for high-paying positions, that a labour shortage is threatening a booming economy.
The Alberta capital is bracing for a labour crunch, said John Rose, the City of Edmonton’s chief economist.
“The real constraint to growth is not a lack of jobs or a lack of investment opportunities, it's a lack of people,” sums up Rose. “And I think that is going to be the story over the next couple of years.”
The shortage of workers could cut the city’s economic growth to 3 per cent, from a projected 4 per cent, this year, he warned.
“We're just running out of people. That's the constraint in Edmonton, and certainly the province as a whole,” Rose said.
Edmonton's unemployment rate dropped under 4.9 per cent this spring and now there simply aren't that many applicants for the available jobs.
“We have a lot of jobs available, but not enough people chasing them,” explains Rose.
For a complete report on Edmonton, see the Prairie Horizons section in the August issue of Western Investor.
