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The co-owner of a busy, long established neighbourhood corner store in Kamloops is exhausted from working so many hours per week in the midst of a labour shortage.

Anju Sandhu works at least 50 hours per week, while her husband puts in extra hours to help her around his own accounting business. She said her family and her business are suffering because of it.

“There is no time for family, for cooking or visiting, or even cleaning my house,” she said. “I’m exhausted at the end of the day. How it affects my family is the hardest part.”

The average small business owner is working the equivalent of an eight-day workweek, 54 hours, due to staffing challenges, according to a study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The hospitality and agriculture sectors are affected the most, especially in western Canada.

Sandhu said she doesn’t see relief coming anytime soon.

“There are no workers, everyone just disappeared,” she said. “If someone calls in sick I have no one. I’ve had to cancel and reschedule many doctor appointments. I have to do product ordering on the phone while serving customers which is really rude.”

She said prior to the pandemic there were young people always asking for work, but those days are gone. The applicants she does get expect to start at $25 an hour and she can’t afford that.

The problem is diverting owners from growing their businesses and forcing them to decrease the services they offer.

“I don’t have time to think about growing or promoting my business,” she said. “I used to decorate and do fun community draws and have more energy to socialize with my customers.”

She is grateful for the long-time reliable staff she has, but there are not enough of them, and not enough young people joining the team. She isn’t sure what the future holds for her business.

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Al Renner, owner of Alchemy Brewing Company in Kamloops, is having the same issues.

He said his staffing levels have fluctuated since the pandemic and he “no longer knows what normal is,” often working much more than 54 hours per week.

“It’s just survival since the pandemic and it’s not getting better, so many challenging things are happening that are all related,” he said. “Staffing is brutal, there are better job offers with more money and benefits from places hiring those with no experience because they need bodies too. It’s super tough to compete against that.”

Renner said his current staffing level is better than usual but can’t rely on it to last.

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The study indicates the problem is continuing to get worse.

— With files from the Canadian Press

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