Economic Development Winnipeg recently engaged Probe Research Inc. to conduct a Manitoba Business Leaders Index survey to gauge how business leaders are feeling about the state of the economy, layoffs and returning to the office. Probe conducted a survey of 203 business owners and managers located throughout Manitoba between Feb. 9-23.

Overall, businesses seem cautiously optimistic and despite the difficulty of the last two years with the pandemic and shifting economic landscape, the findings are encouraging. 

• Businesses, particularly large ones are optimistic about Winnipeg's economic future. One-third of businesses are pessimistic, a similar sentiment found in 2021. 
• Six in 10 businesses say they managed to avoid layoffs since the pandemic began in 2020. Of the employees who did lay off staff, 88 per cent said they planned to re-hire some or all of their staff.
• Two-thirds of companies say they would bring back employees at some point, but one in five still have employees still working from home.
• The number of business leaders who say they are better off than the year before went up by 13 per cent (15 per cent in 2021, 26 per cent in 2022). 
  • Of that 26 per cent of business leaders who said they were better off compared to last year, 37 per cent are companies with 50 employees or more. 
  • Manufacturing companies continue to do well, with 44 per cent surveyed saying they were doing better than last year.
• Finding talent remains a top priority for companies. In 2021, 39 per cent said they were finding it difficult to find qualified employees versus 69 per cent in 2022.

• 68 per cent of business leaders say they still have staff working from home. Of that 68 per cent, two-thirds expect them to return to the office at least some of the time.

You can read more details on the survey and its methodology here.