While the local economy starting to rebound from the ravages of the pandemic, employers are having a difficult time hiring new workers.
That’s the message contained in a report from the Labour Market Group of Renfrew and Lanark (LMG).
Funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the LMG is one of 26 workforce planning groups across the province, with a mandate to provide accurate and timely labour market information.
In its Local Labour Market Plan, the LMG cited an aging population as one of the biggest challenges facing the local workforce.
“Both Lanark and Renfrew Counties are getting older,” the study states, adding that the median age in Lanark County is 48.8 years and 45.2 years here in Renfrew County.
“This aging trend is applying significant pressure on the local labour market plan as more people reach retirement age and the two counties try to attract newcomers to fill workforce gaps.”
The study points to KI Canada as one employer feeling the pinch of that aging trend.
The office furniture manufacturer came to the rescue of the economy of Pembroke and surrounding environs after hundreds of workers lost their jobs in the early 1990s when Storwal International closed down.
“One of the main considerations for the American-based company was the available workforce that could step in to run the equipment that powered the plant,” the study says of KI’s decision to re-open the doors of the factory, adding that it quickly rebuilt the business from the ground up, and at one time employed more than 400 people.
But the workforce at the plant has now dwindled to about 140 employees, as its workers aged and retired, the study says, and the company is struggling to secure more workers, despite still doing a booming business – generating more than $60 million US in sales on an annual basis…
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