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Workforce challenges persist for Ontario's manufacturing sector: industry group

The report says vacancies fell to 1.7 per cent last year, but manufacturers still face broad shortages in skilled trades and training gaps.

  • A new report from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters indicates Ontario manufacturers face persistent skilled trade shortages, despite the province's manufacturing job vacancy rate falling to 1.7 per cent at the end of last year.
  • CEO Dennis Darby attributes the recent drop in vacancies to the trade war between Canada and the United States, as temporary layoffs of roughly 50,000 workers in steel, automotive, and fabrication masked long-term structural needs.
  • The association identified a "weak alignment" between education and industry needs, as roughly 20,000 workers retire annually from Ontario's manufacturing sector while firms struggle to find welders, mechatronics, and electrical technicians.
  • Darby said reductions in skilled immigration have caused a "real perturbation," prompting the association to urge more responsive pathways and targeted government programs to assist smaller manufacturers with succession planning.
  • Industry leaders emphasize the long-term necessity to "fill that pipeline," advocating for enhanced cooperation between educational institutions and manufacturers to better match labour supply with specific technical skills required.
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Winnipeg Free PressWinnipeg Free Press
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Workforce challenges persist for Ontario's manufacturing sector: industry group

A new report from the industry association representing Canadian manufacturers says workforce challenges persist in the country's largest province, even as job vacancies are on the decline.

·Winnipeg, Canada
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Winnipeg Free Press broke the news in Winnipeg, Canada on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
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