As businesses in central and northern Ontario continue to struggle with labour shortages, job seekers will be able to get face time with potential employers at the Huntsville Job Fair on April 6th at Jack Bionda Arena from 11AM – 4PM. The event has been virtual for the last 3 years due to Covid-19 restrictions. Emily Denniston is an Employment Specialist with Huntsville YMCA Employment and Learning Services and says the fair offers opportunities for everyone whether you’re looking for fulltime, parttime, or seasonal employment.
“We’re excited that job seekers will be able to meet face to face with potential employers,” Emily told 705BLACKFLY.COM. “We have 60 employers looking to hire so there is lots of variety and choice for job seekers who may be attending.”
Statistics show unemployment running as low as it’s ever been, record-high job vacancy numbers and unprecedented labour force participation rates. The province’s Financial Accountability Office released a labour market report earlier this month, saying that both job creation and long-term job vacancies are at record levels. The fiscal watchdog says that 36.3 % of all job vacancies in the third quarter of 2022 were positions that had been unfilled for 90 days or more, the highest on record.
With tens of thousands of workers set to retire in the next three years, the provincial government is racing to fill the gap. In last week’s budget announcement, Premier Doug Ford pledged $224 million more to build and upgrade training centres, as part of a push to boost the skilled trades. The government says applications for a new Skills Development Fund capital stream are set to open in the late spring for groups including unions, businesses, industry associations and Indigenous centres to build new training centres, or upgrade or convert existing facilities.
And the battle to recruit qualified workers is getting intense. Alberta is tackling its own labour shortage with a push to lure northern Ontario residents to the western province. The “Alberta is Calling” campaign was created in 2022 to attract workers people from other parts of the country to live and work in Alberta. The campaign promotes Alberta’s economic advantages, including a booming technology and innovation sector, while drawing attention to the fact that Alberta offers the highest weekly earnings and lowest taxes in Canada. The initial campaign took aim at people living in Toronto and Vancouver but this year it has broadened its scope to include northern Ontario. That could spell trouble for Ontario if workers in the petroleum industry, mining sector, and the forestry sector opt for the move west.
In the meantime, job fairs are being held all over Ontario as employers seek summer help. The Huntsville Job Fair features opportunities from all over the Muskoka region.
“We have some employers from Port Carling, Bracebridge, Algonquin Park, so regardless of where you are living there may be some closer options for you,” Emily says. “Definitely have resumes – several copies if possible. I would prepare a 30-second summary about yourself, what you’re looking for and what kind of work you may have done in the past or where your skills are.”
If you need help getting your CV ready or need some tips for handling interviews the YMCA is hosting two job fair preparation workshops:
Wednesday March 29th at 1PM
Tuesday April 4th at 10:30AM
For more information contact:
Huntsville YMCA: Employment & Learning Services
(705) 787-0349 or email: huntsvilleerc@sm.ymca.ca
