The Economic Development Coordinator for Huron County says unemployment in the area is the lowest in the province, and more workers are needed to fill vacant jobs.
Chris Watson told North Huron Council Monday evening that "ensuring there are enough workers for local employers to fill available positions is our number one priority in their Economic Development Strategy."
Watson admitted there are various approaches to solving this issue, but said that North Huron has been successful in creating more housing, which multiple employers say is their main concern when it comes to employee retention, noting a lack of available living space locally is pushing people out of the area.
Reeve Bernie Bailey said he has heard the same calls in his discussions with local businesses since taking office last fall. He said, "Wescast is short by as many as 50 people per day" due to being unable to fill vacant positions.
In his presentation, Watson noted the economic region of Stratford-to-Bruce Peninsula (which includes all of Bruce, Grey, Huron and Perth counties) has the lowest unemployment rate in all of Ontario at 3.4 per cent as of June of 2019, down substantially compared to the current provincial unemployment rate of 6.1 per cent.
Watson said employers have expressed being hesitant to expand due to the lack of available workers, with some noting they have started cutting back on the products being produced and also pushing back delivery dates, potentially resulting in lost sales.
