By Adam Frisk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
With Ontario’s unemployment rate hovering at 7.3 per cent, job-seekers and employers in the County are facing a unique set of challenges.
To help address those problems, the semi-annual Fleming CREW job and volunteer fair is expanding to Minden this spring, alongside the traditional Haliburton event that took place at the Legion on March 24.
Sandra Scott, Fleming CREW’s manager of Employment Ontario programs, explained to The Highlander that expanding to Minden is an effort to “meet the bigger community’s need.” While the provincial unemployment rate is high, Scott said the situation in Haliburton is slightly higher than Ontario’s average.
“We’re fairly close when you look at the labour market report that was put out by the Workforce Development Board, which covers our Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge area,” she said. “So we are about the same, if not a little higher in Haliburton for unemployment.”
Scott noted a stark contrast between the desire to work and the ability to find a job.
“It’s really hard right now. It’s really not as strong as the employment environment that we’ve seen in the past,” she said. “People want to be engaged, but they’re just not able to find work right now.”
Several factors play into keeping residents out of the job market, beyond the lack of opportunities. Scott pointed to the tariff influences on the market, rising fuel prices, transportation hurdles and the housing crisis in the County.
“[Employers] can’t attract people to the area because of the lack of housing,” she said. “People just can’t get reasonable housing if they move up here.”
However, despite these hurdles, some businesses are finding success by focusing on workplace culture. Spencer Devolin, owner of Devolin Professional Painting, said he was looking to expand his company this year by adding a second crew. He said that for him, the secret to retention has been treating his staff with respect and providing a clear path forward.
“A big thing for me is creating an environment that people want to work in,” Devolin said. “There’s an opportunity to advance, to learn skills, to make more… if you’re working all the time, you want to have fun while also managing your responsibilities”
But for many job seekers, the local market can feel like a clique. Haliburton resident Devan McConnell said he is looking for a career change, but establishing a foothold in the area seemed to be more about who you know.
“I find it’s a pretty difficult location to establish something if you don’t already have something,” he said. “It can be a little tricky, especially if you don’t have certain connections to certain areas of work through certain individuals, certain people.”
McConnell said that while restaurants and tourism hubs provide some jobs, those without a trade or a “family business” connection often feel forced to look outside the County. The job fair in Minden is April 8 at the community centre from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
