A discussion on a business expansion and retention survey in Wellington County and Mapleton took an unexpected turn at the July 22 Mapleton council meeting.
In response to revelations that 46 per cent of businesses surveyed report difficulty hiring, councillor Andy Knetsch suggested the county look to western Europe in an effort to attract immigrants to fill positions for local employers. Wellington economic development officer Jana Reichert indicated the idea of courting immigrants was already under consideration.
Certainly this is a country that was built on immigration and Canada’s development as a diverse, tolerant and prosperous society has much to do with our historically-welcoming approach. However, it’s hard to imagine the reason local employers can’t find the type of workers they are looking for is that they don’t already exist right here in Ontario, or in fact in Wellington County and, in many cases, in Mapleton.
Survey participants felt hiring challenges were primarily due to community factors (those unique to this area), such as lack of locally-available training, rather than province-wide industry factors. If that’s the case, providing some locally-available training or highlighting existing options, might be more efficient than a global manpower hunt.
Interestingly, the survey report indicates jobs for which suitable candidates are in short supply include: (grain) elevator operators, machinery operators, agriculture sales, refrigeration mechanics, skilled furniture builders, service technicians, sales associates, field technicians, truck drivers, office personnel, management, farm labourers and general labourers. While many of these jobs require specialized skills and training, we are not talking about the type of training that can’t be found within a 90-minute drive in most instances. If we can’t find people qualified or trainable for this type of work within our local population, or attract them here from communities around the province, we are perhaps in much bigger trouble than we think.
Maybe some local employers should look inward and ask themselves if they are providing compensation packages commensurate with the jobs they are offering, or are they relying too heavily on the lower cost of living locally to attract employees who might otherwise gravitate to the cities.
Our corner of the world offers many advantages over more populous regions in terms of lifestyle and cost of living. If we also have jobs to offer, perhaps all we need do is tweak our message, or perhaps simply turn up the volume.
