The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says despite many small businesses offering higher wages, the labour shortage many are experiencing across all sectors persists.

A new report released by the CFIB shows that a lack of candidates, the inability to find the right skill set or experience, and labour market disruptions are major factors.

Senior Policy Analyst with the CFIB in Newfoundland and Labrador, John Hearn, says many businesses are offering higher wages, but finding workers remains a serious challenge.

He says it’s not just raising wages that will help ease the problem.

Hearn says wages have increased by nearly 4 per cent across all sectors, but “it still hasn’t fixed all the problems.”