How Small Businesses Can Use Tech to Solve Labour Shortage Challenges

The labour shortage is causing huge problems for businesses across the entire world, so how can small and medium-size businesses make better use of technology and their IT strategies in a bid to adapt to a shortage in skilled workers?

Known as ‘The Great Resignation’, the labour shortage is set to continue and may even get worse in the short term. That’s according to a new survey from The Harris Poll, commissioned by staffing company Express Employment Professionals, which found Canadian companies are struggling to find workers - and they think it’s only going to get worse from here. 

84 per cent of companies say they expect to face problems hiring this year, with almost one-third reporting they currently have open positions they can’t find anyone to fill.

Among the reasons employers cite for the hiring crunch are problems with assessing potential employees’ skills and more competition in the job market. Companies also say they’re running up against a skills gap with people lacking experience and both hard and soft skills.

Some firms even said no one is applying to open positions at all. 

Companies reported in the survey that things have gotten worse over the past three months, with firms who never struggled before suddenly having a hard time filling vacancies.

This has had a huge impact on a number of industries, according to one report by Global News, the labour shortage has caused business owners across Canada to delay or cancel orders due to a lack of labour, while businesses in the hospitality sector have had to slash hours and simplify menus. 

With job openings more difficult to fill than ever before, what can companies do to mitigate the challenges that a labour shortage brings? Technology can help, but a new report from Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has found that small businesses aren’t using the best tools to battle the labour shortage.

“Not only do technological investments and automation make it possible to be more productive, but they also attract workers,” explained Pierre Cléroux, Chief Economist with the BDC. “Entrepreneurs who embrace this solution are twice as likely to find it "easier to hire workers.”

With that in mind, OT Group has listed a few of the top technologies that businesses in Ontario can use to boost efficiency, improve productivity and mitigate the challenges posed by the labour shortage. 

Rather than hiring a new employee, there may be the opportunity for your team members to work more productively and efficiently through the automation of simple, time-consuming and recurring tasks. 

A surprisingly large part of your employees’ days can be taken up with monotonous tasks, such as submitting invoices, filling out forms, logging in to software, waiting for meetings and so much more.

Yet, despite the benefits of automated technologies, only one in four companies has fully automated any of their business functions, according to the BDC report mentioned earlier. 

By investing in automation technologies to perform tasks behind the scenes, you will free up your employees to work on higher value tasks. Your team will be more efficient, more productive and even more satisfied with their role. 

One of the factors contributing most to ‘The Great Resignation’ is worries around the spread of COVID-19. Many employees aren't ready yet to go back into the office and take part in in-person work environments.

Companies who invest in IT infrastructure that supports a remote workforce can work towards offsetting some of the challenges that come with the labour shortage. In fact, moving to a remote workforce gives you a larger pool of talent to access.

Work From Anywhere: What Equipment do Employees Need to Work Remotely?

To do this successfully, you’ll need to invest in some key technologies that support a remote workforce - such as unified communications (UC), collaboration software, cloud-based computer systems and project management software. 

Every company has a mix of experienced, long-standing and new employees in their roster. These team members all have one thing in common - they all have the potential to be upskilled, and that can alleviate some of the challenges that your business faces around finding new talent.

Leveraging technology (and making sure all employees know your IT infrastructure works as it evolves) will allow your business to focus on important upskilling initiatives such as learning and development, team collaboration and acquiring new qualifications within your organization. 

Are you concerned about the challenges posed by the labour shortage and interested in more information on how technology and your IT infrastructure can help you mitigate some of those issues, get in touch with OT Group’s team of IT support experts today.