The Workforce Development Board (WDB) has just released its 2023-24 Local Labour Market Planning Report, which provides an in-depth look at regional labour market challenges and opportunities from a demand and supply perspective in the city and county of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton.
An Employment Ontario project funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario, the 96-page report was written by WDB Labour Market Analyst Consultant Sandra Wright. At her disposal was input provided by 66 stakeholders in WDB’s catchment area, with information and feedback gathered through a series of consultations, surveys, and focus groups.
The 2023-24 Local Labour Market Planning Report is available to view and download at www.wdb.ca/local-labour-market-planning-report/.
In her report-opening executive summary, WDB’s Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Lamantia provides an overview of some of the report’s key findings:
- With many currently in the workforce expected to retire over the next five to 10 years, many employers are focusing their efforts on the retention of current employees as well as ramping up recruitment.
- With Canada planning to welcome 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024 and 500,000 more in both 2025 and 2026, many employers are looking at hiring a more diversified workforce as a labour shortage mitigation strategy.
- While the labour shortage due to an aging population is creating a significant workforce challenge, it’s also creating an opportunity for employers to explore new initiatives around workplace culture, new technology adoption, and increased employee diversity.
In addition, the report notes that sectors reporting labour shortages include health care, construction, education, tourism and hospitality, and retail.
On the flip side, the list of specific in-demand occupations is long, including nurses, personal support workers, early childhood educators, electricians, millwrights, carpenters, labourers, truck drivers, salespersons, school educators and custodians, cooks and kitchen staff, and administrative and support workers.
As well as an aging and retiring workforce, there are other challenges affecting access to the labour pool, including available and reliable transportation services, adequate childcare services, and affordable available housing. From a job-seeker perspective, mental health challenges, combined with limited financial means, present a challenge in securing gainful employment.
As employers look for workers who have skills in areas such as computer literacy, interpersonal communications, and customer service, and who are reliable with a strong work ethic, many have taken measures such as increasing wages, offering more flexible working hours, and implementing hybrid workplaces.
Even so, that hasn’t been enough for some to overcome the labour shortage challenge, with the result being a reduction in operation hours and services offered, and in some cases, outright closure.
Among the employment service providers and business attraction and retention organizations involved in the consultation process for the report — and anxious to make good use of its myriad of statistics and related findings to the benefit of their respective clients — are Muskoka-Kawarthas Employment Services, a division of Fleming College, and City of Kawartha Lakes Economic Development.
Both Rebecca Mustard, economic development manager at the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Sarah Haase, director of workforce development for Muskoka-Kawarthas Employment Services, are on the same page when it comes to the 2023-24 Local Labour Market Planning Report. Each says there’s no such thing as too much information when it comes to having an up-to-date and accurate fact-based overview of regional labour market realities, needs, and challenges at their fingertips.
“It pulls from a number of different data sources and aggregates it all into one place to tell a story,” assesses Mustard, adding “It’s a great tool for us.”
“When we’re doing our planning and working with the business community, this report is very helpful for us to be able to see trends — particularly what’s changing over time when we’re looking at businesses, when we’re looking at jobs, and when we’re looking at demographics. It helps us understand the dynamics of what’s going on in the community, giving us specific information for questions to ask.”
Haase couldn’t agree more.
“The ability to draw into various communities is incredibly useful,” she says. “Muskoka needs this kind of information, as does Haliburton, Northumberland, and Peterborough.”
“Having the different regions incorporated is very useful when we’re looking at localized solutions for jobs seekers and employers. It really helps us drill down. We have so many different pots of information we can access through Statistics Canada and other areas. What this report does is bring it all together in one spot.”
Haase points to the report’s detailed migration information as an example of the report’s practical use for her agency.
“We very often hear big scope stories in the news about influxes or outgoings in our community, but getting into this really detailed information allows us to make detailed decisions,” she says.
“I’m always keen to see where our shifts in industry have happened. When we’re looking at where we see activity in our industries for job seekers, and where we see employers needing support through employment services, being able to have an industry-by-industry look — and what that can mean as we try to help clients make decisions about training they might want to do or educational steps they’re taking — is invaluable.”
Mustard adds the report helps set priorities for City of Kawartha Lakes Economic Development, answering key questions in the process.
“Where do we need to be putting our time and effort? What’s an industry that might need some stabilization support from a local perspective? How do we then layer that in with what’s going on in the labour force?”
The report, adds Mustard, is even more essential post-pandemic.
“We’ve all heard a lot of stories that are very true for individual people. This gives us a factual, studied base to weigh those stories and figure out how much of what we are hearing or witnessing is true across the entire population, or whether we are seeing certain experiences in different pockets that aren’t reflected everywhere. It’s helping us make better decisions based on the evidence in the report.”
While praising the assistance provided by WDB’s Labour Market Information (LMI) Help Desk, Mustard says the report “brings information to us without us having to go and ask for it all the time. You might be choosing a section of this information when you ask the help desk, but this report gives a broad overview. We’re getting a very holistic view of what’s going on in the labour force.”
For her part, Haase notes the report is “one of the few sources in the community that everybody can access” and says employers should take advantage of the up-to-date information and numbers that speak directly to their respective industries.
“It’s one thing to look at data on a spreadsheet, but it’s another thing to know what do we do with that data. An employer can read this report and ask ‘What does my industry look like? Where do I see growth? Where do I see possibilities? If I have a challenge with recruitment, is it because of some of these things that are happening?’ The report gives context and setting along with the data, which is really helpful.”
The bottom line, according to Haase and Mustard? As a resource to help employment service providers and business attraction and retention organizations do their work effectively, nothing tops having up-to-date date and insights close at hand.
“Part of its usefulness is the fact that it’s there and available,” Haase points out.
For those who want an overview of the report, WDB will be hosting a half-hour presentation on Zoom at 11 a.m. on Wednesday (February 21), when WDB Labour Market Analyst Consultant Sandra Wright will provide an overview of key changes in local workforce characteristics, including population, employment, unemployment, participation rates, migration and immigration, and education attainment. The session is free, but advance registration is required at eventbrite.ca/e/810369616337.
WDB is also encouraging people to provide feedback about the report by completing a brief online survey at surveymonkey.com/r/2023LLMPFeedback.
Founded in 1996, WDB is a not-for-profit organization located in Peterborough and serving Northumberland, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton. WDB is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to provide labour market information, coordinate employment and training services, and engage employer communities. For more information, visit www.wdb.ca.
This story was created in partnership with the Workforce Development Board. If your business or organization is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
