The Research
Methodology
In October of 2022, an online survey was conducted by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, collecting responses from local businesses through the province’s 115 local Chambers of Commerce. The survey was conducted on the Alida research platform, an online panel of 800 members living in Alberta who have agreed to submit labour market insights in return for an incentive. The study compiled data from a total of 539 respondents from various levels in professional organizations.
Further questions were asked to Alberta Perspectives Hub members and are documented in this report.
Purpose of the Research
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To reinforce ongoing advocacy efforts by undertaking regular province-wide efforts to gather, prioritize, and articulate perspectives of the business community on core economic and policy issues of relevance to municipal and provincial government leaders; and
- To make the research findings available to individual Chambers of Commerce.
Key Findings
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In the last year, the proportion of businesses with a positiveoutlook has gone from less than half (43%) to over two thirds(68%). This change marks an upward shift of 25%.
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Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, views of the barriers and benefits to the growth of their business remain fairly stable over time.
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Almost all businesses undertaking an expansion or renovation cite a problem with both:
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the permit process;
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and with bylaw and zoning compliance.
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Concern over the cost of electricity and natural gas continue to rise; the level of respondents expressing high concern has increased by 31% for natural gas and 28% for electricity since 2020.
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2/3 of businesses report that they have not been contacted by either elected representatives or non elected officials/organizations/agencies over the last year to assist with their business.
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Similar to 2021, over 2/3 (69%) of businesses continue to believe the level of customer service they receive from their municipality falls short of the service they provide to their clients or customers.
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As noted in 2021, there are a number of indicators that those businesses with fewer than 50 staff have a more negative outlook across a range of issues than larger enterprises.