Chatham-Kent is hailing a recent municipal job fair as a success, as it works to fill a province-wide building inspector shortage that is being felt locally.
The job fair, which was held Thursday night at the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, attracted a total of 88 people vying for shot at municipal jobs. Those attending had brief meetings with municipal staff to discuss job requirements and answer questions.
John Norton, department leader of legislative services including the building development, says it was a successful night.
“The Chatham-Kent economy is on an upswing over the past several years and one indicator of that upswing is a rise in new or renewal construction. Our building inspectors are very busy this year. There is a need to ensure we have a full complement of qualified inspectors," says Norton in a media release. "Economic growth is a good thing and my hope is that economic growth will continue resulting in more construction and more building permits being issued. This is good news for Chatham-Kent.
CK is currently in need of three building inspector/bylaw enforcement officers due to a combination of normal employment turnover, as well as stricter provincial regulations.
“Chatham-Kent is no different than many other employers being impacted as baby-boomers move through their careers,” says Norton. “We have a large number of employees eligible for retirement in the next few years and we want to make sure we remain an employer of choice.”
