The price of oil has been rising steadily the last several months, and while that should spell good news for the energy-producing province of Alberta, it has instead shone a spotlight on a problem — there aren't enough workers.
The province fell into a recession in 2014, when the price of oil plummeted, putting Alberta in a tough financial position and forcing many oil and gas workers out of a job.
But prices have spiked after sanctions against Russia have decreased its exports. Plus, after a slump at the beginning of the pandemic, oil consumption is now nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.
And now that things are again on the upswing, companies ranging from family-run businesses to larger businesses servicing the oil and gas sector are struggling to recruit enough labour to meet growing demand.
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"We're still short. We're still recruiting. We're still training. It's an ongoing issue we're dealing with," he said.
"It's never been this bad."
While Hayek said there are people applying for jobs, there is a shortage of qualified applicants available as Alberta enters, what is believed to be, a boom.
"It's definitely frustrating. It's frustrating but we're working our way through it," he said.