Recruitment and retention in eastern Ontario is changing, just as the workforce changes. As factors such as, labour shortages, the COVID-19 pandemic, or inflation continue to affect the labour market, employers need tools to help keep up with this ever changing landscape. 

Continue reading to find everything you need to know about recruitment retention in eastern Ontario. 

How the Hidden Workforce Affects Recruitment and Retention in Eastern Ontario 

In eastern Ontario, there are currently over 30,000 residents who are available to work and able to work but who are not working; this is the Hidden Workforce. If employers are looking for hiring help, the first place they should consider recruiting from is the Hidden Workforce. To introduce employers to the Hidden Workforce, Ontario East has created a page dedicated to the demographic and help hiring staff. Bookmark this page: 

In it, you’ll find strategies and tips for hiring the Hidden Workforce, like: 

• learning how to reduce high employee turnover by hiring members of the Hidden Workforce like retirees; providing parents with flexible options; and offering skills training
• using social media recruiting techniques like Instagram and Tik Tok and utilizing hashtags to expand your reach
• finding more employee retention strategies, like optimizing onboarding to improve retention and retain employees through leadership development 
• learning how to hire employees from within the Hidden Workforce and how factors like poverty affects employee retention
• working with Indigenous peoples to create an inclusive workplace that is safe for your Indigenous employees and all employees

Get Help With Recruitment from Ontario East

If employers need help with recruitment, look no further than the Ontario East Help Employers With Recruitment resource page. 

With this resource, employers can:

• get access to hiring tools like one of the six LMI Help Desks in the region; and, business resources like the Rural Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF); Benefits Finder; Algonquin College Job Boards; Employment Ontario; Talent Opportunity Program; Canada Summer Jobs; and the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program 
• learn how to connect with international talent through programs like OINP 

And, of course, employers can find recruitment help, as well. Here are some highlights for how to recruit and retain employees in eastern Ontario. 

Right now, recruitment is a lot like sales, in that clear qualifications, expectations, company culture are needed to draw in new talent. One of the best sales-related recruitment tips we found? Recruiters should tap into their networks right now, just like sales people do. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed what job seekers want and how to recruit them. Now, more employees say they need easy and accessible work from home options where possible; and employers need to rethink compensation packages, and provide career advancement opportunities to improve chances of successfully filling a new position. Employers can further learn how to attract employees by providing comprehensive benefits packages which include mental health access; and create workplaces that are safe both physically and mentally.

One of our favourite recruiting tips: employers will catch more job seekers with high quality company culture and work life balance than they will with money. 

Once employers have successfully used these tips to successfully recruit, learn how to retain employees by: 

• creating SOPs
• tapping into long-term employees’ knowledge before they leave to ease transitions
• identifying and sharing company culture from the beginning

Connect With Job Seekers Through the Virtual Referral Network and Career Pathway Planning

The Virtual Referral Network for New Canadians to Skilled Trades resource page was created to help new Canadians find skilled trade jobs. 

This page helps job seekers in their skilled trade job search. By connecting with these programs and services, employers can use the resource to find new talent. Employers can also connect with students in the region. Workforce development boards partnered with an online education platform to help students, and their parents in career pathway planning, with regional opportunities for skills training and visits to employer’s workplaces. 

Give Employees the Skills Training and Career Advancement Opportunities They Want