(Montreal) Labor recruitment difficulties were at the heart of the meeting between employers’ associations and Finance Minister Eric Girard on Friday.
Posted at 2:13 p.m.
The Minister is meeting with organizations from all walks of life, these days, to take stock of the needs, in anticipation of his budget.
The Quebec Employers Council, Manufacturers and Exporters and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business have identified the problem of recruiting workers as the “number one obstacle” to their development or their business.
In an interview after the meeting, Karl Blackburn, of the Conseil du patronat, once again pleaded for a “broadening of the pool of workers” through an increase in immigration.
Manufacturers and exporters request to facilitate the long-term settlement of temporary foreign workers. The organization also wants incentives for immigrants who arrived less than five years ago to come to the regions of Quebec.
The CFIB is calling for tax credits to be improved to enable SMEs to attract more workers.
On another topic, the Employers’ Council asked that the structures of the health system be reviewed, in order to make more room for the private sector.