Jobs and business opportunities were the focus of conversation at the first-ever mayor’s breakfast held here on Nov. 15 at the Sports complex.
The event attracted about 40 people representing businesses, service clubs and local politicians, including Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece.
The breakfast was hosted by the township’s economic development committee together with Mayor Ray Tout and featured guest speaker Carol Simpson, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin. Simpson spoke about job and business trends in Wellington County.
“There’s a lot of things to think about in our municipality and the (Wellington) county,” Tout said of the presentation. “We need people to attract industry.”
With the county’s unemployment rate sitting below the provincial average at five per cent, Simpson, politicians and business people realize the low rate puts the county and its municipalities in a quandary that could impact attracting new business due to a smaller work force.
Simpson noted the county is currently working on an economic development strategy with an emphasis on attracting new business and keeping businesses already operating in the county.
“We have to deal with the labour market,” Simpson said. “There are significant issues we’re going to have to deal with.”
Statistics contained in a planning board report show a slight decline in businesses operating in the county.
“The number of businesses in Wellington County fell slightly by .57% to 15,096 in June 2011,” the report stated. “More than 80% of all losses occurred in just two categories. The largest losses were among owner operated businesses with no employees. This category accounted for almost 54% of businesses lost. The largest loss among businesses with employees was in the 20 to 49 employee size range where there was a decline of 24 businesses. Only 0.4% of all businesses have more than 200 employees.”
There has also been a decline in the number of new people moving to the county and its municipalities.
“Wellington County is attracting people, but not at the rates it was,” Simpson said. “We’re not seeing growth in the labour force.”
Among the problems facing business and identified by the board and county economic development staff is the migration of young people living in Wellington to jobs outside the area.
“Not having access to people is constraining some of our businesses,” she added.
Simpson blames, in part, a poor image of manufacturing as low-paying and low skill jobs. She said post-secondary education is also lacking for those looking to take apprenticeship programs and trades education.
“There’s a number of colleges across Ontario that have dumped manufacturing programs,” Simpson said. “It’s certainly something we have to work at.
“I think there has to be a lot of work done to make young people aware,” she said of the job opportunities that exist closer to home. “Manufacturing employment growth is expected to increase in the next 18 months.”
County Warden Chris White said the recent establishment of a county economic development committee showed Wellington was “a bit behind on EDC.”
The committee and its strategic plan is meant to coordinate economic development efforts by municipalities and their economic development departments.
“County-wide we want to step up and support the lower tiers,” White said.
In a bid to attract new business, the county and municipalities have to ensure there is affordable housing, good healthcare, schools and transit available to workers to get to jobs available in Wellington, the warden said.
