Saskatchewan has the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, at 4.9 per cent, which has sparked a campaign to lure more skilled workers.
The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce has launched a Labour Market Task Force to help businesses recruit skilled workers to a provincial economy that is said to be the fastest growing in the country.
Chamber CEO Steve McLellan said the task force will be "quarterbacked" by the chamber, and is expected to involve industry groups, business, labour, post-secondary and government representatives looking at ways to deal with the current skills shortage.
Various sectors, including mining, are already tackling the skilled-worker shortage, as is the province through the Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration, McLellan said.
Enterprise Saskatchewan, the province's economic development agency, was also tasked with recruiting employees.
A looming business succession issue exists as well, with some business owners looking to retire, McLellan said, adding that some operations have shut down because the owners can't connect with other businesspeople who are willing to take over.
"So how can we help encourage whatever is necessary to get younger, or other, businesspeople into that business to buy it out?" McLelllan told the Regina Leader Post.
from Western Investor, February 2011
