Manufacturing sales have grown steadily amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are fewer workers to fill those orders and that’s trouble for the high-paying, economy-building sector. Nowhere is that more acutely felt than in Southwestern Ontario, home to a vast belt of auto and auto parts, petrochemical and other manufacturers.From our newsroom to your inbox at noon, the latest headlines, stories, opinion and photos from the Toronto Sun.
“A lot of companies . . . when they have a need, they’re having to steal from another company,” said Bruce Hein, who owns a private employment agency franchise, Express Employment Professionals, in border-city Sarnia.Article content GPL Machine and Tool, a family-owned London machine shop serving military, energy, environmental and other industries, has 13 staff, but could easily add five more as sales have tripled during COVID, said vice-president Elizabeth Lobo.Article contentGPL Machine & Tool’s Elizabeth Lobo says the London machine shop has innovated to keep up with rising demand despite a shortage of skilled labour, but worries what may happen if they don’t find more staff by fall.
The labour squeeze also concerns economists, who fear losing production or even plants. It has hit every economic sector, threatening to derail pandemic recovery as businesses try to make do with fewer on the payroll. “We have with numerous temp agencies and recruitment firms, we have tried advertising, LinkedIn, radio ads and job fairs,” said Means TransForm’s Ficca. “We’re doing all we can and now Amazon is going up down the road and Maple Leaf is across the street.”
“This has been an issue for a long time, but it has been exacerbated by the pandemic,” he said. “It has never been this severe.” The company has tapped international students at Fanshawe College in its search. They can work 20 hours a week while in school, and many have stayed on. “It’s a big part of how we fill the void,” Crook said.Medical devices maker Trudell Medical has about 250 staff and needs more than 20 more, human resources director Sherry Ryan said.
Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)
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