We have just wrapped up the results from our recent Staff Turnover and Vacancy Survey (April 2026). A huge thank you to the 38% of our member agencies who took the time to participate and share what's happening on the ground.
Looking at the numbers, it's clear that our sector's workforce is under immense pressure right now:
- Our average turnover rate sits at 21.2% - and in the most extreme cases, that number spiked all the way up to 58.33%.
- Agencies faced an average of 720 unfilled staffing hours just in the month of April alone.
The three biggest challenges we heard from your feedback are:
- Recruitment Bottlenecks: Finding and keeping qualified, dedicated staff is getting harder by the day.
- Financial Strain: Rising costs of living mixed with stagnant funding mean both workers and agencies are feeling the squeeze.
- Workforce Instability: When you are short-staffed, the workload falls heavily on those who stay, making it a constant struggle to maintain stability for the people we support.
When turnover is over 21% and hundreds of hours are left unfilled, our non-profits are stretched to the absolute limit just to keep daily operations running.
The data you provided is incredibly valuable. It gives Abilities Manitoba the hard facts we need to keep pushing for better funding, better wages, and stronger support for our workforce.
Thank you again to everyone who responded!
