Faculty in the news - Companies are mitigating labour shortages with automation
On April 24, 2022, our Associate Chair and Dancap Private Equity Chair in Human Organization, Geraint Harvey authored an article in The Conversation entitled "Companies are mitigating labour shortages with automation - and this could drastically impact workers"
Excerpt from The Conversation:
Last month, unemployment in Canada reached a record low of 5.2 per cent. Alongside low unemployment, many industries saw — and are still seeing — a worker shortage, with the number of job vacancies in Canada reaching 900,000 in January.
Both of these things are good for workers, right?
Prospective employers, desperate for new recruits, are “throwing cash at applicants.” Many lower wage jobs have even seen an increase in pay, like the 20 per cent wage increase for truckers recently announced by Walmart.
The pandemic is partially responsible for this labour shortage, as the immigrant workforce supply dried up throughout the lockdown. However, the aging population in Canada has also been a factor.
Is automation the answer?
