About 100 employers will attend a regional job fair in Owen Sound on Valentine's Day looking for their perfect employee.
Grey County Economic Development Officer Jacinda Rudolph said fewer employers than expected are participating.
"We have just over 100 employers. We have space for 140 with all the other rooms within the Bayshore, but actually, we didn't get that many," she said. "So that really is indicative of what employers are looking for and whether they're actually hiring in this moment."
Rudolph pointed out many employers seem to be shifting gears and focusing on retention, or considering a different workforce.
"People that may not have been in workforce before or students," she explained. "I noticed a lot of employers are looking to hire newcomers and adjusting some of the work requirements to accommodate, let's say, someone who is a newcomer looking to improve their English."
"Some employers have indicated that they're not coming because they're not looking to hire at this point. And in conversation from some of the employers, we found out that they're focusing a lot more on retention, rather than attraction," explained Rudolph. "They're looking at their current workforce and their current employees to make sure that they stay, rather than trying to recruit people from outside the region."
"They're not only hiring them, they're helping people look for housing, adjusting to accommodate to hiring youth," she revealed. "They're looking at Georgian College students or local students that are just about to graduate. Before it was all really around, you know, what experience do you have. Now it's more like what are some of the skills that you have and the knowledge and what is transferable to be able to work in this position."
She added they expect more than 30 job seekers from the GTA to attend the job fair, most of them skilled professionals. A bus tour with Grey Bruce Local Immigration Partnership and the Newcomer Centre of Peel through the Rural Employment Initiative (REI) will bring clients living in the GTA who are looking to relocate to a rural community.
She said several full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions will be available, supporting various sectors across the region, including student jobs.
"I was surprised to see how many employers are hiring students and I think that is also around that shift to hiring students, or post secondary students, and trying to keep them for a while and keep them in for a while, and keep them in the area and retain them to fill those positions instead of hiring new people," she added.
Many of the employers are in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors. Rudolph said there is still a shortage of skilled labour in the region.
Wednesday's event will be held at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Registration is not required for job seekers to participate. Grey County residents without transportation to the event in Owen Sound can complete a pre-registration form at Grey.ca/JobFair.
"Come ready to impress. Come with your resume, Rudolph advised. "Actually, if you go to Grey.ca/jobFair, you'll see a list of all the employers which has just been updated. There's also a list of all the positions they are looking to fill."
As part of the event, the City of Owen Sound will distribute red heart stickers proclaiming "Now Hiring, Inquire Within" to local businesses seeking new employees. The stickers are available at City Hall. Businesses can place them in the windows if they are hiring, making it immediately clear to passersby that there are job opportunities available within.
