A recent survey conducted by economic developers in Huron County shows workforce shortages remain a challenge in the area.
As part of an update to a strategic plan presented to County Council last week, the municipality’s Director of Economic Development said results received from its Business Retention and Expansion Project (BR&E) survey show a significant number of people across the region left their jobs over the last several years. Lass added that birth rates are also too low to keep up with labour demands.
“We saw a lot of people leave the workforce during the pandemic and for various reasons, looking after elders, looking after children, just trying to balance our care requirements with working requirements,” said Lass. “This really should never have been a surprise. I mean, we’re at the tail end of the baby boomers. The tail end is about to retire. That was a very large cohort of people.”
The BR&E Project is a county-wide effort, supported by local Business Improvement Associations (BIA), Chambers of Commerce, and other agencies to identify the needs, concerns, and opportunities of existing businesses. The project then serves to provide action where appropriate to assist with things such as expansion, relocation, and retention and assess where help can be provided.
Lass said that while labour challenges are being seen across Canada and internationally, the survey showed work shortages are particularly noticeable in rural areas like Huron County.
To correct the problem, Lass said suggestions have been made to try and encourage those who recently stopped working to return to the workforce, adding that it is easier and less expensive for current residents to retain their businesses or come back to the local workforce than attract new businesses to the community.
