Business expectations over the next three months
79.6% expect to keep the same number of employees
58.4% expect rising inflation to be an obstacle
52.8% expect profitability to remain relatively unchanged
48.1% expect the rising cost of inputs to be an obstacle
39.4% expect rising interest rates and debt-related costs to be an obstacle
37.2% expect transportation costs to be an obstacle
32.4% expect to raise the prices of goods and services
Labour-related issues anticipated in the short term
35.5% of businesses expect the labour force shortage to be an obstacle
41.7% of businesses expect recruiting or retaining employees to be an obstacle,
Of businesses expecting this obstacle, 61.3% find recruiting and retaining staff more challenging than 12 months earlier
Supply chain challenges over the next three months
23.5% of businesses expect difficulty acquiring inputs, products or supplies from within Canada
12.8% of businesses expect maintaining inventory levels to be an obstacle
12.3% of businesses expect difficulty acquiring inputs, products or supplies from abroad
Of businesses that expect supply chain challenges over the next three months
33.3% reported that they plan to substitute inputs, products or supplies with alternate inputs, products or supplies over the next 12 months
32.3% reported that they plan to partner with new suppliers over the next 12 months
Liquidity and debt
77.3% of businesses reported having the cash or liquid assets required to operate for the next three months
74.7% of businesses do not plan to apply for a new business loan over the next three months
Of businesses that do not plan to apply for a new business loan in the next three months, 25.7% reported being unable to take on more debt
Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, fourth quarter of 2022.