Labour shortages, already a pressing issue for Canadian businesses before the COVID-19 pandemic, are growing and new ones emerging. Yet Canada’s Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and the Alberta Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program claw backs are creating barriers to labour market participation for many employable older adults and for persons with disabilities by discouraging the pursuit of income exceeding set values to qualify for GIS and AISH.
When Canada’s public pension programs were designed over 50 years ago, the average age of the population was under 30. We’re now on average over 40-years-old and living longer. About 23% of the working age population will be 65 years or older by 2024. Between 2021-2024, Canada will lose about 600,000 workers as people age and exceed 65-years-old, lowering the share of the population participating in labour markets.
2022
If you have any questions, contact Dana Severson at dseverson@abchamber.ca or (780) 425-4180 ext. 2.