Here’s something you probably already know: right now, it’s hard to hire and retain new employees. Here’s something else, you probably needed to hear: despite the hiring difficulties, there are hiring success stories happening in the eastern Ontario region, right now.

In October 2024, Ontario East joined over 200 manufacturing sector leaders to connect and learn all things manufacturing at the Northumberland Manufacturers’ Association. Ontario East was proud to sponsor this year’s panel discussion on manufacturing workforce strategies where manufacturing and economic development leaders answered questions about the challenges in recruitment and retention troubling the industry; here are 3 main takeaways that led to local hiring success for manufacturers. 

“The Paperwork Is Worth It”

KI Canada used the many resources available to businesses to hire 15 Filipino workers. General Manager Dan Mellen acknowledged that there was a lot of work involved in bringing the new workers into the country and into the business. While it requires a lot of paperwork upfront as well as the services of an immigration lawyer, Mellen believes it was worth it in the end. 

“The cost of not hiring them, or of losing current employees, was much worse,” said Mellen. “The cost of not having them was double to triple the cost of hiring.” (Our emphasis added)

Expand your workforce for hiring success:

Get the Team Involved

Anne Marie Côté-Wood, Human Resources Manager of Kruger Products, partnered with her Local Immigration Partner (LIP) to recruit skilled Ukrainian manufacturing workers. 

NB: Every community has access to the local immigration partner in their community. LIPs are funded by the Province of Ontario. 

Before these new Canadians joined the workforce, Kruger organized a warm clothing and kids’ snowsuit drive amongst the existing employees. Initiatives like this help create connection among the current and incoming workforce leading to a smoother transition and forging camaraderie and satisfaction among employees. 

Your Workforce Can’t Afford to Close the Door on New Canadians

Don’t Get Lost In Translation

Kruger HR Manager Côté-Wood also cited the importance of creating a welcoming environment for new Canadians for hiring success. Kruger made sure it was easy for their newcomers to understand what it meant to work for them. “We translated all of our critical documents, like the training and employee manuals, into Ukrainian,” Côté-Wood shared. 

But they went beyond that, too. Kruger identified cultural differences between work in Ukraine and Canada so new employees wouldn’t feel employment culture shock. For example, one of the things Côté-Wood found out was that the Kruger manufacturing facility in Trenton was considered to be quite “cozy” by Ukrainian standards. “Manufacturing facilities in Ukraine can be up to 5 city blocks long,” explained Côté-Wood, so working at Kruger in Trenton felt far more comfortable. 

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