Employers in southeast Saskatchewan are broadening their search to find the skilled workers that will help reach growth targets. Seven organizations from various locations throughout the south east have partnered with Saskatchewan South East Enterprise Region Inc. (SSEER) to participate in the "Saskatchewan Zone" at the National Job Fair in Toronto, Ontario on April 4 to 5. Four businesses including L & C Trucking Ltd.(Estevan), Three Star Trucking Ltd.(Alida), Southern Industrial & Truck Ltd. (Weyburn), and Nexans Canada Inc.(Weyburn) will have human resource representatives on hand to interview prospective job candidates. SSEER will be receiving job applications to match with job vacancies on behalf of SaskArc Industries Inc.(Oxbow), the City of Estevan and Swayze Concrete Ltd. (Weyburn & Carnduff).
"This is an exciting recruitment opportunity for L & C Trucking," said Stephanie Robb, L & C spokesperson. "We are desperate to fill some of the current job vacancies."
Employers, frustrated with inability to fill job vacancies, are motivated by record growth in the region.
"The southeast has been busy for quite some time and many of the businesses in the area have put considerable investment into facilities, infrastructure and updating equipment," said Dustin Rouse, who works in industrial sales at Southern Industrial & Truck in Weyburn. "Now all of us are struggling to make use of these investments because of the lack of people resources. We had made accommodations and investments to double our staff in 2010 and have struggled to increase by even 10 per cent."
Employers are turning their efforts for labour attraction to eastern Canada, including the metro areas, where immigration rates are higher and workers have lost jobs in the manufacturing sector and other industries. From the 10,000 job seekers expected at the National Job Fair, Rouse hopes to find workers of a certain fit.
"We're looking for skilled workers from other markets and industries that can transition into our business - people that not only bring the right skill set but bring the right attitude to incorporate into our company's culture," said Rouse.
Recognizing the need for more workers in Saskatchewan, Enterprise Saskatchewan and Enterprise Regions, including SSEER, are working together to create greater opportunities for businesses to attract skilled labour.
"The Enterprise Regions have been instrumental in working with Enterprise Saskatchewan to promote the National Job Fair to business and industry throughout the province. This work has led to an excellent response from companies who will be participating in the Saskatchewan Zone at the Fair in order to help solve their labour attraction issues," said Linda Mack, Regional Enterprise Manager of Enterprise Saskatchewan. Enterprise Saskatchewan is a major sponsor of the National Job Fair in Toronto this year and as such, has been able to offer a discount to businesses booking their own booth space. For businesses in south east Saskatchewan, SSEER was able to access matching grant funds from Enterprise Saskatchewan to help offset the costs of participation in the SSEER booth.
"Our region's businesses work hard at their local and regional recruitment strategies," said Edie Spagrud, CEO of SSEER. "The opportunity for growth is so much larger than our supply of skilled workers. Looking beyond the provincial borders seems like the only way to bolster business efforts and sustain economic growth."
