One economist says that while Canada’s rapid population growth helped to fill job vacancies after the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also spurred rent price inflation and made housing shortages worse.

One economist says that while Canada’s rapid population growth helped to fill job vacancies after the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also spurred rent price inflation and made housing shortages worse.

  • sbv@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    71·
    2 months ago

    However, Grantham also highlighted that given the attention on population growth and housing affordability, “it is easy to lose sight of the positive impact that newcomers into the country are having, particularly in the labour market.”

    Given stories from other outlets about Canada’s tanking productivity, I suspect an influx of workers also discourages employers from investing in automation/productivity improvements.

    I think we’ve had a few months in the past year where population growth has outpaced job creation, which seems like it would exacerbate the productivity/wage thing.