FILE PHOTO

Image Credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/ Creative Commons Attribution

Employers in Kamloops and surrounding areas may not want to miss an upcoming opportunity geared to help them find and retain staff.

A jam packed, interactive day of networking and information sharing for employers is scheduled for Sept. 27 at Thompson Rivers University.

“This event is in response to the current staff shortages as well as a work landscape that has been drastically changed by the global pandemic and other contributing factors,” said marketing coordinator at WorkBC for Kamloops-Thompson, Jordyn Jeffrey.

“We hope to see as many employers attend the event as space allows as this is our first big in-person event since the start of the pandemic and we are very excited to see everyone there.”

The 2022 Workforce Conference and Job Fair will feature lively, knowledgeable panels, useful resources, networking opportunities and insights about the local workforce. The schedule is packed with events and includes breakfast and lunch.

It is all about staff recruitment and retention at a time when many industries are struggling with the labour shortage.

“We understand the pandemic and the current labour shortage has been difficult on businesses and recruitment hasn’t been easy,” Jeffrey said. “As the province reopens, there has been a surge in demand to fill positions in hospitality, service and retail as well as healthcare.

“We want to assist employers as well as job seekers of all levels and in all industries.”

WorkBC is a provincial government employment service connecting employers and job seekers, and while most are familiar with the task of searching for a job, Jeffrey said many people don’t know the organization guides employers as well.

She said Kamloops has a diversified economy with long-established businesses, new start-ups, a few large employers of 1000+ employees and many small to medium sized businesses.

Kamloops’ primary industries include transportation and logistics, healthcare, forestry, construction and manufacturing, agriculture, retail and mining.

“These industries have many employed people but the staff shortages unfortunately affect every single one of them right now and we are trying to change that.”

READ MORE: Worst of Thompson-Okanagan worker shortages are behind us: economist

Jeffrey said it is a job seeker’s paradise right now, and it is hard to pinpoint an exact reason for employee retention issues.

“Since the pandemic, people are making different decisions in the type of work they want to do,” she said. “People are looking for more work-life balance which means something different to everyone. People are starting jobs and moving on to other jobs pretty quickly for various reasons.

“Restaurants, tourism, and the healthcare industries still haven’t bounced back from the pandemic, many staff are have been experiencing burn out and are looking for other opportunities. Mental health challenges have also been on the rise and we are seeing this more and more since the pandemic.”

The event is open to everyone in the community and is hosted by WorkBC, Venture Kamloops and the Kamloops and District Chamber of Commerce.

“All of our WorkBC clients are being provided with information about which employers will be in attendance along with resume and interview preparation,” Jeffrey said. “We’d like to see this result in some job placements and success stories for everyone involved.”

Jeffrey said employers can get assistance accessing provincial and federal funding through wage subsidies to offset the cost of hiring when an employer hires eligible candidates.

“Tapping into the untapped labour market will assist employers with recruitment and retention by hiring inclusively, whether you want to attract more women, youth, Indigenous workers, newcomers, persons with disabilities or members of other diverse groups.”

READ MORE: Young workers have lessons to teach their bosses in Kamloops, Okanagan

The conference and fair take place from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the second floor of the university’s Grand Hall at 1055 University Drive.

The day includes a keynote presentation on the labour market outlook and what that means for Kamloops and the district.

For the full itinerary and to reserve a seat, please register here.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2022