PENTICTON – A labour market study doesn’t sound very exciting but the city of penticton is excited about what it could mean for the local economy.
The city has received provincial funding for the study designed to help companies with their labour needs which will hopefully create jobs in the long term.
“You’ve got to start with what is standing in the way of hiring and growing and how do we remedy some of those things?” say Penticton Economic Development Officer Colleen Pennington.
A consulting firm has been hired to survey at least 100 employers.
It will also hold two focus groups with small business owners and do in-depth interviews with the area’s largest employers.
The goal is to identify impediments to attracting and retaining skilled workers in the south Okanagan.
“It’s really about making sure we’re not guessing at what are the big issues affecting a good number of our manufacturers and employers and that we have really good data. And from talking to our employers, then we start designing solutions,” says Pennington.
The labour market study, including a three year action plan, is slated for completion in March.
The provincial government is contributing $71,300 to the estimated $100,000 cost of the study.
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