May 16, 2023

Shortages of people seem to be hitting all sorts of businesses and industries. I find it hard to comprehend but it seems to be a global issue, not just Canada or even North America-wide.

Recently, investors were expecting Air Canada to have a great summer now that the Covid restrictions are dropped and the World Health Organization has said the emergency is over. They expected huge demand for travel. 

But in the last two weeks, there has been the realization that Air Canada needs a lot of staff that they can’t get. Labour shortages in both their own operations and at the airports, is restricting their ability to capitalize on customer demand.

We at Boating Industry Canada News Week Digest are devoting a lot of our resources to writing about and supporting the marine industry’s drive to attract new people ranging from high school to retirees who might take seasonal work. We need people.

With the shortage of trained technicians, it would be reasonable to expect the industry to marshal our current technician resources with care. I suspect many will plan to serve their key customer base first, walk-in business second and will be selective about which jobs to tackle so as not to tie up key resources on major jobs where parts shortages or other factors could negatively impact the service department.

So, what about “Do It Yourselfers”?  Is there an opportunity to boost overall sales by better supporting DIY customers with parts or supplies?

Could customers be replacing their props, changing their oil and filters, or doing other tasks that would get them back on the water? Would the overall situation be a benefit or not? Is this a problem or an opportunity?

Last thought…by promoting the DIY idea and offering a little guidance, might you find a potential future employee who discovers that they enjoy doing this type of work?

Or, is this just a bit of insanity?

Andy Adams - Editor