Digital skills shortage, lack of skilled labour No. 1 issue for Canadian businesses: Poll

A new poll says Canadian businesses are struggling to find workers with digital skills as the pandemic continues to accelerate technology adoption and automation.

The KPMG survey found the inability to find and retain talent was identified as the No. 1 threat to the growth prospects of businesses across the country.

The poll found nearly 80 per cent of businesses say the pandemic changed the way they work and they now need more workers with IT skills.

But it found 70 per cent of businesses polled are having a hard time hiring people with the right skills.

KPMG says while nearly 90 per cent of businesses are investing in upgrading the skills of workers, more than half say they’ll consider recruiting outside of Canada.

Armughan Ahmad, president and managing partner of digital at KPMG in Canada, says while the pandemic provided a catalyst for many businesses to accelerate their digital strategies, competition for digitally-skilled talent has made implementing these strategies more difficult.