It seems the doom and gloom in Leamington in the aftermath of the Heinz factory closure was premature, according to the latest results of a labour market study spearheaded by the local chamber of commerce.
Labour Market Specialist Denise Ghanam says focus groups across the five key sectors in the town are very optimistic about growth over the next five years.
"That was a bit surprising, especially given that the big concern that drove this project in the first place was the closure of the Heinz plant and it does not seem to have the negative impact that was anticipated," says Ghanam.
However, Ghanam says the ongoing labour market study has discovered some issues needing attention.
"Things like retention of youth in the Leamington area. At the other end of the scale, some of the challenges of an aging workforce," says Ghanam. "A lack of regional transportation which can hamper labour market development."
Ghanam says the information from the study will be used to create a forecasting model to predict what the Leamington labour market will look like in the coming years.
