November 23, 2018 - Louis Pin, The Sarnia ObserverSarnia�s workforce watchdog�s annual report highlights some troubling trends in the region � and important areas of need for an aging region flush with employment opportunities.In brief: there are fewer people working in Sarnia, and quite a few are nearing retirement.According to the Sarnia-Lambton Workforce Development Board, nearly 6,500 fewer people were employed in 2016 than were employed in 2006. That drop-off, from 63,000 to 56,500, was mostly the result of older people retiring and younger people leaving home.�We are really great at keeping people once they get here. What we�re really not good at is recruiting them here,� Shauna Carr, executive director with the development board, said. �They need to go out and get a broader world perspective . . . we need to really look at strategies to bring those working-age folks back here.�Between 2011 and 2016, young and working age adults � between 18 and 44 � decreased by roughly 2,200 people, leading to a net loss of more than 1,200 workers overall.The other issue: Sarnia-Lambton�s biggest gain was among those 45 and older, those soonest to retire.Overall, it paints a clear picture.�We need to give them things to come back to,� Carr said.Much of that starts with employment opportunities in Sarnia-Lambton. While the region boasts no major university, unlike nearby London or Windsor, Lambton College is a major draw for the region.�The primary selling point for the area is our educated workforce,� Stephen Thompson chief executive officer with the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, said. �There are a lot of positive things going on with the college, with other training programs.�Sarnia differs greatly from Ontario on two counts. There are more skilled trade positions in Sarnia, positions for which young people�are increasingly unlikely to apply. Related: only 16 per cent of Sarnia�s workforce has a university degree, exactly half the Ontario average (32 per cent).Changing the conversation about trade opportunities could make Sarnia-Lambton a destination spot for young people seeking employment in skilled trades.�It used to be if you couldn�t go to university, you couldn�t go into college, you would go into the trades,� Carr said. �That�s the wrong narrative. It�s not the case. If you have familiarity in mathematics, working with your hands, in creating amazing things . . . the trades is for you. It�s an amazing career opportunity that pays really well.�Electricians, steamfitters, car technicians, and hairstylists are the most common trade positions available in the region, according to the development board�s report.There could be another major opportunity in Sarnia-Lambton�s future. Notably, only one in every three businesses regionally has an employee on staff. In other words, of 12,000 businesses, roughly 8,000 are entrepreneur-run companies.It is therefore a priority to give those single-person businesses the information and the opportunity to grow, Carr said, with organizations like the Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation able to offer resources and advice.lpin@postmedia.com
