Drivers wanted: Canadian consumerism fuels demand for work behind the wheel

Demand for new professional drivers is strong across Canada, according to a new survey, as consumers increasingly prefer shopping and meals delivered to their doors.

ManpowerGroup ranked “drivers” third on its latest top ten list of in-demand jobs in Canada, following behind the consistently top-ranked skilled trades category, and sales representatives.

The findings are part of a survey by the workforce solution company, which found 41 per cent of Canadian employers are struggling to fill job openings.

“The high demand for drivers and customer service representatives remain largely the result of consumerism,” the report’s authors wrote. “Online retail activity continues to skyrocket, along with jobs in logistics and last-mile delivery.”

ManpowerGroup surveyed 39,195 employers in 43 countries and territories, asking about difficulty filling roles, which skills are hardest to find, and what is being done to address talent backlogs.

The perception of a talent shortage among employers jumped more than 20 per cent in Canada over the past two years.

This year, companies in Japan were found to face the greatest challenge when it comes to hiring, with 89 per cent reporting difficulty. Japan was followed by Romania (81 per cent) and Taiwan (78 per cent). Employers in China complained the least, with just 13 per cent citing difficulties, followed by Ireland (18 per cent) and the U.K. (19 per cent).

Globally, lack of applicants was the top-ranking complaint (26 per cent), followed by lack of experience (19 per cent), and lack of hard skills (17 per cent).

Most Canadian companies surveyed (68 per cent) said they are investing in additional training to fill vacant positions, as well as recruiting from outside traditional talent pools (56 per cent), and adjusting education or experience requirements (41 per cent).

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