Trend in hiring:  64% of employers who responded to the 2017 EmployerOne survey say they plan to hire in the coming months. Of those hires, over 1,000 are full-time positions and around 450 are part-time.

A concerning trend is that many of these companies are having trouble finding local candidates with the right mix of education qualifications and “soft skills” to professionally interact with colleagues and the public.

These are just some of the findings of the 2017 EmployerOne survey. This year, 368 businesses responded to the survey conducted by the Elgin, Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board. The survey is used to identify hiring patterns, challenges, concerns and successes in the current workforce. The EmployerOne Survey is funded in part by the Government of Ontario. The are available on www.worktrends.ca.

Quick Facts:

  • 64% of respondents plan to hire staff this year, 1,045 full-time, 465 part-time, 222 contract and 1,193 seasonal jobs
  • Occupations in “education, law and social, community and government services,” “sales and service,” and “manufacturing and utilities” are in great demand
  • Top five in-demand job skills in Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford in 2017 are: customer service, teamwork/interpersonal, work ethic, dependability, and self-motivation/the ability to work with little or no direction. (A majority of those being “soft skills”)
  • Top three reasons respondents are looking to hire this year, include: expansion; fill vacancy/replacement and seasonal
  • 46% of respondents had difficult time filling positions in 2016. Large and medium sized businesses had the most difficulty in finding talent. The top three reasons being: not enough applicants, lack of qualifications (education level/credentials) and lack of work experience
  • A majority of respondents indicated college diploma as the minimum preferred level of education for many positions. A high school diploma is acceptable for service and production workers and apprenticeships.

Quotes:

 “The EmployerOne Survey results will help drive programming in our schools.   Trends resulting from the survey will guide our staff to provide relevant programming to meet current and future needs of our students and the workforce they will enter,” Laura Elliott, Director of Education of the Thames Valley District School Board.

“Access to timely, reliable, and comprehensive labour market information is critical to ensure all Canadians have the information they need to make informed career decisions.  The annual EmployerOne Survey, conducted by the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board, provides local job seekers, students, educators, employment service providers and all levels of government with helpful insight to prepare for current and emerging job opportunities in our region,”  Kate Young M.P. London West.

"Ensuring we have access to labour market information is an important part of building up Ontario's Highly Skilled Workforce. ‎I congratulate Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board for their leadership on this and look forward to seeing the results," Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Digital Government.