Some Alberta businesses struggle to find workers, cite lack of applicants in survey

Lack of applicants and qualified candidates are the common recruitment concerns in todays technology, agriculture, energy, and hospitality tourism sectors. A survey distributed to 487 businesses of different scales in Alberta found that 20% of respondents reported a lack of applicants.

According to Vince O’Gorman, founder of Vog App Developers, there is a shortage of skilled developers everywhere and a gap in meeting the qualifications set by the hiring companies. Furthermore, the pandemic has likely impacted the quality of education that students received, as they transitioned to remote learning.

Business owners plan to raise salaries to attract more qualified applicants while others are adding benefits and flexible work hours. For O’Gorman, it is also important to attract applicants to the company culture and growth opportunities.