Younger people moving out of Manitoba; research project launched to determine why

An extensive research project has been launched in Manitoba, looking into the reasons why young people don’t want to put down roots here in the province.

Ru Dario studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Manitoba. She just graduated from the program but will be leaving Manitoba next week for a job out of province. She says there were more job opportunities outside of Manitoba.

“I felt like there was more room for growth, especially in my industry. I was also looking at things like income tax and sales. I am moving to Calgary and the income, and sales tax are way less than it is here in Manitoba,” explained Dairo.

Dairo says she would have stayed in Manitoba if there were more opportunities available to her.

“The other thing they could improve on is the transit system, because it is way better in other provinces.”

Dairo is one of many young people seeking opportunities outside of Manitoba. This week, the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce announced a research project to find out why?

“What we want to do is get a better handle on what are some of the reasons that people are looking to leave Manitoba and what can we do to do a better job of keeping them here in the first place,” explained Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

Davidson says they’re surveying young people in Manitoba and in other major Canadian cities. He says it’s important to be competitive with other provinces, to retain and even recruit youth from out of province.

“Whether it’s cost of living, whether it’s the affordability that we have here in Manitoba. Those are some of things we want to get a better handle on. Do young people think about those things when they make those decisions, or is that something they look at when they start their career?” asked

Christine Watson from Winnipeg’s Red River College Polytechnic says they have work-integrated learning in all of their programs in an effort to retain talent locally.

“It gives students the opportunities to explore career options, with Manitoba employers, and an opportunity for Manitoba employers to recruit early and often from our programs” said Watson.

Rod Bruinooge with Manitoba Film and Music says their industry has grown exponentially over the last few years in the province. 2022 saw a record $365 million in production volume. The success leading to more job opportunities.

“There is a great opportunity for young people, who may not even have a degree. In fact, no education is really required. A lot of these jobs are trained on set so it’s something that if somebody is excited for the film industry, there is opportunity to get involved,” said Bruinooge.

Davidson hopes the research will help clarify why Manitoba is “not so friendly” so those between the ages of 18 and 35.

“Manitoba has a lot of advantages. Look at some of those advantages when you are really looking to start your career and your family, and those kinds of elements.”