Rising costs biggest takeaway for Manitoba business community: survey By: Malak Abas Posted: 5:25 PM CST Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026

A year of trade uncertainty and immigration cuts has increased costs and made it harder to hire workers, Manitoba business owners say.

The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce released its 2025 business outlook survey results on Tuesday, which polled 157 business owners and people in leadership roles across multiple sectors. It found, despite a general feeling of optimism for the future, the community was rocked last year by the impact of changing political tides.

“I would suggest this has been an extremely difficult year for businesses in Manitoba, as all these pressures have been put on them,” chambers president and CEO Chuck Davidson said.

According to the numbers, 79 per cent said they remain concerned about the impact of trade disruptions with the U.S. and the shifting dynamics in global trade, while 76 per cent said economic uncertainty with no end in sight is impacting their financial decisions.

Out of those who said U.S. trade issues have impacted their business, most pointed to an increased cost of materials and equipment, and 41 per cent said they have experienced delivery delays.

“We hear time and time from businesses that the tariffs and the trade challenges have actually impacted that cost of doing business, I think that’s something that’s pretty evident as well,” Davidson said.

Over half of all businesses surveyed said the biggest barrier faced in 2025 was costs, including wages. Hiring and retaining staff was listed as a top issue for 42 per cent, and nearly one in four listed trade relations and economic uncertainty.

“We hear time and time from businesses that the tariffs and the trade challenges have actually impacted that cost of doing business.”

Rural business owners were more likely to report concern about the impact of trade disruption. Speakers at Tuesday’s virtual conference listed a higher percentage of rural businesses working in exports and trade negotiations involving canola and pork production with countries overseas as possible reasons.

“It shows that (rural) big businesses are not just worried or concerned, they’re actually experiencing part of the tariffs,” said Rural Manitoba Economic Development Corp. research and data manager Michael Asante.

The respondents were more ambivalent about how the provincial government has impacted their operations than they were in previous polling.

In the 2024 exit survey from the Manitoba chambers, 40 per cent said the province was doing a good job and 23 per cent said it was too early to rate its performance.

In the 2025 results, 37 per cent said they would rate the government positively and 28 per cent would rate it negatively; 32 per cent said they did not feel the government had made an impact in either direction.

“I think they’re getting a bit of an extended honeymoon (the NDP government led by Premier Wab Kinew was sworn in in October 2023) … Business is still not saying, ‘Yeah, we’re fully in,’” Davidson said.

Business owners were also split on if they believed Manitoba was competitive compared to other provinces, with 45 per cent agreeing and 50 per cent disagreeing.

That number could be improved by reducing business tax and red tape and improving public safety, survey respondents said. Two-thirds added they’d like to see Manitoba eliminate its interprovincial trade barriers.

Meantime, at World Trade Centre Winnipeg, training programs on how to navigate trade away from the U.S. market have proven popular, said CEO André Brin.

“I think developing that trade expertise in Manitoba will be essential as part of a solution, because one, trading to the U.S. is no longer as simple as it used to be, and two, increasing your your capacity to trade will help you to go to new markets.”

Meanwhile, the federal government’s cuts to immigration numbers and subsequent reduction in the provincial nominee program have been felt by the local business community.

Finding skilled labour in Manitoba has gotten worse over the past year, 41 per cent of businesses said. Those who said the federal government’s changes to the immigration system have had a negative impact said it reduced access to skilled workers and international students.

Davidson pointed to the closure of the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology announced last week as a blow to already-struggling businesses.

“When you’re looking at skilled trades, electricians and welders and manufacturing, that’s what organizations like MITT were able to push out to companies,” he said. “That’s a gap that we’re concerned (about), how you’re going to fill that.”

The three positions considered most difficult to fill were skilled trades such as electrician or welder, entry-level and general labour positions, and professional roles such as accountant and lawyer.

Nearly half of businesses said wage expectations and limited numbers of qualified applicants were having the greatest impact on their ability to recruit and retain workers. Thirty-four cent said they had increased wages or added financial incentives to job offers in the last year to help recruit workers.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca