Source: www.cbc.ca
The cost of many goods and services are tied to the availability of these on-demand workers
A shortage of qualified people to work in skilled trades is making rising costs of living even worse, economists and trade industry veterans say.
“It used to be 70 or 80 bucks for somebody to come to your house as a service call just to look at your dishwasher; now you’re going to pay double that,” said Mandy Rennehan, founder and CEO of construction company Freshco, which specializes in building retail stores.
And it’s not just homeowners paying the price.
“Anybody can expect to bear some of impacts of this shortage,” said Simon Gaudreault, chief economist and vice-president of research for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) based in Montreal.
From a lack of transportation mechanics driving up the cost of bus fare and plane tickets, to a shortage of cooks affecting menu pricing at restaurants, “this is all interconnected in ways that sometimes people underestimate,” Gaudreault said.