CFIB Predicts BC’s Strong Economy to Continue
Prince George, B.C.- While predicting a good new year for small business in B.C., Richard Truscott, the Vice President for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business in B.C., says it won’t be easy for small business.
“I see the trend that B.C.’s economy is going to continue to perform relatively well, especially compared to the rest of the country and of course to our neighbours to the east in Alberta who are in dismal shape” says Truscott “The flip side of that however is it is making it more difficult for small businesses to find people”. He says the problem is “most acute” when one looks at the smallest of small firms. “Those are the ones that don’t have the resources, the time or the expertise, to find people. The problem is the worst in the northern area of the province. Those are the areas where there’s not enough people in the local community to fill all of the positions that are available, and I think that job market is going to become even more chronic in 2017. That’s something government’s need to focus time, attention and resources to dealing with.”
Truscott says the key is job training and skills development combined with connecting those folks with smaller businesses “A lot of people have the illusion that they need to work for a big business or government or a big organization, when there are lots of jobs in smaller businesses that may not pay as well right off the hop, but they are really good opportunities, they’re flexible work environments and they may lead to something else and will provide those individuals with really good experience. So, people need to think small and look for the opportunities in small business.
Truscott says the push for a $15 dollar an hour wage hike is neither helpful nor a hindrance “I think it’s a mirage. It may let people feel they are helping individuals in those lower wage occupations, but really, employers respond by cutting back on the number of hours , reducing training, by not making investments inside the business, so there are common adjustments that will be made. In the end, a lot of individuals will be no better off. I think the focus needs to be on skills development and training and giving people those tools to find those better paying jobs.”
Comments
You could have saved yourself a lot of time and effort here by simply typing “Vote for the BC Liberals in May.” That’s what it distills down to.
I mean come on, can this really be what passes for new these days? It’s more akin to free election advertising isn’t it. Would this be “sponsored” content, meaning CFIB paid for the release of this “news story?” If they didn’t, they should. We already pay for it because they’re a tax free shill organization, so they should share that largess with the people who allow them to shill under thinly veiled, or in this case not veiled at all, circumstances.
I can guess why it’s not called advertising though, because if it was they could be charged for deceptive practices. Pretty much everything written there is contrary to what is actually happening. I believe this article is meant to deceive and discourage people from voting for the NDP. All the chartered banks, economists and financial analysts are downgrading BC’s outlook for 2017 on a number of fronts. The unemployment rate for Northern BC is currently 12.2% and has been on the rise lately.
Now I will decode the rhetoric from above:
1) Employers can’t find employees – lets bring in more temporary foreign workers so we can drive down the pay rates.
2) It’s about skills training and development – we want taxpayers to foot the bill for training our workers, so we don’t have to develop them ourselves.
3) Working for small employers is a great opportunity – it’s a great way for people who don’t have other options (like TFW) to get jobs and not expect benefits.
4) Alberta is in dismal shape – don’t vote for the NDP, because they’ll destroy the petroleum industry and plummet your economy into a depression.
5) $15/hour minimum wage is a mirage – don’t vote for the NDP, because they will create economic hardship.
I don’t agree with the $15/hour arbitrary minimum wage either, but all evidence says that people at that end of the socioeconomic scale tend to spend everything they earn, so this would actually be a boon for the economy and businesses will just pass the cost on more than likely.
Bunch of fear mongering based in a complete absence of data and evidence. You know what though, I think British Columbians are a lot smarter than that. I think the vast majority of British Columbians have had enough of the uber corrupt BC Liberals. It’s time for a change – any change.
htt p://globalnews.ca/news/3130409/calgary-area-greenhouse-owners-say-ndp-policy-pressure-killed-their-business/?sf46962189=1
Yes NDP policies are really good for small businesses…
Joe, you sound like a person who usually votes NDP. It sure is nice to have a strong economy, guess these politicians are doing a great job.
Thanks MLA’s, for your hard work!
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