Forty-one per cent of employers in Canada say they are struggling to fill jobs, especially those in skilled trades, according to a new ManpowerGroup survey.

Employers said that a lack of applicants, experience and hard skills were the main reasons why they could not find the right employees, according to the survey of nearly 2,000 employers.

The hardest jobs to fill are in skilled trades, followed by sales representatives and drivers. In particular, demand is growing for mid-skilled roles that required post-secondary training, but not always a full university degree, the survey said.

"Today's job seekers don't always have the skills employers need. To solve our growing skills gap, we need to take a new approach,” said Darlene Minatel, country manager at ManpowerGroup Canada, in a press release. 

“Employers need to buy skills in the short term, cultivate communities of talent by borrowing from external sources and help people with adjacent skills transition from one role to another.”

About 68 per cent of the companies surveyed said they are investing in learning and development tools to build their talent pipeline. Meanwhile, nearly one-third of employers said they are changing work models to offer more flexible work arrangements to attract and retain workers.

More than half of the companies surveyed also said they are looking at different talent pools for potential candidates, including retirees who used to work for the company, or returning parents and part-time workers.

Canada’s unemployment rate dropped to a four-decade low of 5.8 per cent in July, but the headline figure was pushed lower with more part-time workers, as full-time jobs fell.