The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton annual survey
Cites difficulty finding skilled labour and social issues as 2023 key priorities

January 12th, 2023

Moncton (NB) – Greater Moncton’s business community has once again cited difficulty finding skilled labour and social issues as key priorities heading into 2023.

A survey of members conducted in mid-December by the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton shows business owners are once again increasingly focused on filling labour needs and addressing social issues within the community as critical to continued growth and prosperity.

The survey asked CCGM members to identify their biggest challenge to business growth. “Difficulty Finding Employees with the Right Labour Skills” was the leading response at 32 per cent. “Inflation and Rising Interest Rates” came in second at 15 per cent.

Fifty-one per cent of all respondents claimed they had a shortage of skilled workers, and 47 per cent found it difficult to recruit and retain employees.

“The survey results show the need for all levels of government to focus on labour attraction and retention, and to address the growing social issues in our downtown,” Chamber CEO John Wishart said.

Three separate survey questions asked what the biggest priority should be for the three levels of government. Municipally, 54 per cent listed “Homelessness & Security” as the main priority, followed by 20 per cent for “Housing” and finally, at a tie of seven per cent “Downtown Development” and “Removing Red Tape for Businesses”.

Provincially, 36 per cent of respondents chose to prioritize “Investing in Health Care and Education”, “Homelessness and Security” came in second at 18 per cent and finally “Housing” at 13 per cent.

Federally, the top three issues were “Homelessness and Security” at 24 per cent, “Lowering business taxes and fees” at 18 per cent, closely followed by “Support for Small Business” at 15 per cent.

“As we hopefully turn the page from the pandemic, our business community faces new challenges related to inflation, rising interest rates, finding workers, and ensuring affordable housing for those workers,” Wishart stressed.

The survey, conducted over a two-week period, elicited responses from 114 CCGM members. It is not a scientific survey with a margin of error but a snapshot of the opinion within the Greater Moncton business community.

The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton surveys its members each year on local and provincial economic trends and important public policy issues.

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