A Manitoba businessman says he’s not only welcoming displaced Ukrainians to the province with open arms, but he’s also trying to steer them in the direction of jobs that match their skills.
Mark Myrowich told 680 CJOB’s The Start that he created Myrowich Staffing Agency when he saw the positive impact on his own business, manufacturer ECBVerdyol, when he hired Ukrainian refugees.
“We’re a rural manufacturer. We’ve got factories in Riverton and Blumenort, Manitoba, and we were dying for staff — we needed people in a big way.
“So when I realized Ukrainians were coming to Manitoba, I started connecting with them and started to hire them, and in that company I now have 23 working for me … and more resumes and more people wanting to work for me than I can handle.”
Myrowich said he realized there were many other companies in Manitoba that needed workers, and there was a disconnect between the newcomer Ukrainians and local businesses.
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“When I was bringing them in, they were happy to take any job but what I soon realized was the talents that were coming here wasn’t matching the talent that I needed,” he said.
“What if we created a staffing agency where I hired Ukrainians to really vet out the talent that was coming?”
Myrowich said one example was a refugee who had worked in Ukraine as an electrician at a nuclear plant, but was stuck working in a grocery store in Manitoba.
“It drives me nuts that we have such great talent that’s not connecting with employers,” he said.
“(I want to) put those people in the seats that are best suited for their talents. That will make them happier in their jobs … that’s going to make their employers happier, and they’re going to contribute to our economy quicker if we can make those jobs happen in that way.”
The staffing service, he said, also works with employers to share information about the lifestyles newcomers will experience, particularly those who are moving to parts of rural Manitoba — where there’s high demand — for work.
“You think it’s hard to find people in Winnipeg — go to small-town Manitoba and try to find people to run your factories or work at your restaurants.”
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