Vol 1, Issue 4, January 28, 2021
Hamilton's Labour Market Connection
Your weekly news & updates from WPH!
In this week's edition: EmployerOne - Business Impact & Workforce Needs Survey; Skills for the Future Forum, register today!; WPH New Executive Director; Canadians Upskilling or going back for more education; Hamilton LMI Dec 2020
#HamOnt Employers: We Need to Hear From YOU!
WPH has partnered with the City of Hamilton to deliver this year’s EmployerOne Survey to collect local labour market information and to also understand how COVID-19 is affecting local businesses.  

The survey has 22 questions and will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. We encourage Hamilton businesses of all sectors and sizes to complete the survey. 

WPH will provide a community report with the aggregated data to share the Hamilton labour market trends we uncover. In cooperation with the Hamilton, Flamborough and Stoney Creek Chambers of Commerce, Hamilton’s 13 Business Improvement Areas, and our valued partners we appreciate your support sharing this survey with Hamilton-based businesses. 

Employers who complete the survey can be entered to win a FREE booth at the Connect to Careers virtual job fair on March 3rd, 2021, valued at $650! 

Please share with your networks!

Skills for the Future Forum: Registration is Open!
WPH has partnered with Mohawk College Enterprise to present our virtual series: Skills for the Future Forum. A series of three weekly virtual interactive sessions featuring in-depth discussions and learning from a range of experts delving into the skills of today with a focus on the future. 

Three interactive sessions from 1pm-4pm:

Session 1. February 9: Skills in a Pandemic Era

Our first interactive session will address job skill requirements for today and the future and provide Employment Counsellors, Employers, and Human Resource Managers with a clear picture of challenges facing employers in the areas of skills development, technological change, and the shift to a virtual work environment due to Covid-19. You will have the opportunity to share your experience with learning, interviewing, and coaching techniques applicable to a remote workforce.

Learning Outcomes for Session 1:

  • Clarify the transition of skills required through the ages.
  • Identify shifts in required skills and strategies for working remotely.
  • How to effectively and professionally conduct, and participate in, virtual interviews.

Session 2. February 16: Funding Opportunities to Support Skills Development

Session 3. February 23: The Evolution of Workplace Skills

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming session panelists & speakers!
Choose to register for all three sessions or the ones that peak your interest.
New Executive Director at Workforce Planning Hamilton

The Board of Directors for Workforce Planning Hamilton are pleased to announce that Khadija Hamidu will be our new Executive Director. Khadija comes to us from the Hamilton YMCA. She lives in Hamilton, is a graduate of McMaster University and is very active within the not-for-profit sector of our community. We are very excited that Khadija is bringing her organizational skills, experience, knowledge, focus on teamwork and passion for our community to this important leadership role. Khadija will be officially starting February 22nd, 2021.

Please join us in welcoming Khadija to Workforce Planning Hamilton.
Canadians are Up-Skilling & Going Back To School
Faced with hiring freezes, wage cuts and layoffs, many Canadians are making dramatic career changes. Others are seeking skills upgrades or shifting their hours after realizing their current jobs don’t offer the stability and flexibility they need to raise kids or care for immunocompromised family members.

An online survey of 3,000 Canadians released in November found 24 per cent say the COVID-19 pandemic led them to consider a job or career change.

Educational institutions are seeing an uptick in interest too. Ryerson University’s Chang School of Continuing Education, for example, said enrolment for spring-summer courses in 2020 grew by 15 per cent when compared with 2019. Particularly popular were certificate programs in disaster and emergency management, advanced safety and health studies, it said.
Hamilton Labour Force Information:
December 2020

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Hamilton, Hamilton Economic Development, and the Flamborough and Stoney Creek Chambers of Commerce, are closely monitoring and assessing new developments pertaining to COVID-19, as well as its impacts on Hamilton business.

Workforce Planning Hamilton | 905-521-5777| info@workforceplanninghamilton.ca | www.workforceplanninghamilton.ca