The ongoing jobs crisis has been described as the “single biggest problem facing employers” across the board, and pressure is being put on the federal government to tackle backlogs. Employers Council of Newfoundland and Labrador deputy executive director Jaclyn Sullivan says the labor shortage is most felt in the service industry, but affects everything from government to manufacturing. Sullivan says several factors are contributing to the problem, including the province’s aging demographics and a slowdown in immigration during the pandemic. Add to that a significant delay in processing immigration applications by the federal government. Sullivan says the province is doing its part to attract more immigration, but the federal government needs to step up and add more resources to the effort. He says there are only two federal immigration officers in all of Atlantic Canada. They met with federal Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan to discuss their concerns.
