London job fair sees high turnout, despite challenges in workforce
There were more than 2,000 jobs up for grabs
Officials with London's annual job fair said the event had some of the highest numbers of job seekers and employers in attendance — even with challenges in the workforce.
Event officials estimated that thousands of people showed up to the London and Area Works job fair on Tuesday. More than 2,000 jobs were up for grabs.
There were about 83 employers and 17 resource agencies, up from a total of 65 last year.
"This is a chance for employers to meet someone face to face … and encourage them on how to come in … job seekers can make that personal connection and find out more about what a company is looking for," said Robert Collins, director of workforce development at the London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC).
Despite increased engagement at the job fair, there are still about 78,000 people between 25 and 64 who are unemployed and uninterested in looking for work, according to event officials.
London's mayor announced last week that there will be a new task force to tackle unemployment.
Difficulty filling jobs
Collins said it's unclear why thousands of people are not actively seeking employment. However, he's not entirely concerned about it.
"Some people could be in school, some could have younger children at home, some could be caring for somebody who is sick, they could be people who have enough resources and choosing not to work and they could be an early retiree," he said.
However, he said employers are generally finding it difficult to fill positions.
Bill Pigram agrees. He's the manager of Community Employment Choices, an organization that connects job seekers with employers.
He said "it's becoming a real challenge for businesses to find people to work with them."
"It's always been more people than jobs … it flipped over the years."
He suggested employers look for new and more attractive approaches to recruiting. When possible, Pigram suggests employers be "more flexible" and make accommodations for people.
Employers finding success
Meanwhile, some employers who admitted they experienced some difficulty in finding fitting applicants said they found success at the job fair.
Phyllis Hanson, a manager at Murphy Bus Lines, said the event was "very successful" for her company.
"The applicants are more engaged this year. They're really interested … we're having great luck," she said.
Sarah Imrie, marketing coordinator at Start.ca, said "this is a huge help for us because we are actually able to meet them face to face and make that connection and get a bit of their personality."
Mixed feelings about the job market
Some job seekers are mixed about the current job market.
Laura Ricciuto is a former personal support worker who is looking to work in the field again, and she's feeling encouraged.
"Honestly there's no shortage of jobs in this field right now so I'm not feeling too concerned," she said.
Meanwhile Bernard Werneck, who's a former lawyer, hasn't had much success finding a job in and outside of his field.
He's been searching for seven months.
"One thing I definitely wasn't expecting was the amount of certificates employers ask from you," he said, noting it was fair for employers to ask for more experience.
The event advertised a broad range of jobs in fields such as IT, construction, health care and education.