By Mike Miner
An employment boom in the Ottawa region means good news for many Ottawa residents looking for work.
Gerry Geiss, a labour market analyst with Human Resources Development Canada, says there are several reasons for the good showing.
“There’s a strong economy right now,” he says. “Following the recession of the early ’90s, while the economy was growing, companies were still cutting back on their staff. Down-sizing was necessary for some people, but it became a fad. Right now, people are stocking up again.”
Geiss keeps track of the employment opportunity index for Ottawa, which keeps track of the help wanted ads in The Ottawa Citizen. He says this gives a fairly accurate picture of the labour demand in various business sectors. The index rose to a nine year high in September, and with companies beefing up to deal with the holiday season and the possible side-effects of Y2K, Geiss predicts it has yet to reach its peak.
Geiss says employment opportunities can be found in every business sector.
“The success of the high-tech industry has been a constant, and Ottawa is becoming the call-centre capital of Canada,” he says.
“Throughout the economy, attitudes are starting to change and companies are more confident about hiring.
“In the last couple of weeks I’ve gone to Loblaws, they’re looking for people. So are The Brick, and IKEA.
“I’ve seen billboards outside of restaurants, and the help wanted walls at any mall are full. This is the best year since the recession.”
Consequently, every area of Ottawa will benefit, including Centretown.
Bob Leedy, vice-chair and treasurer of the Ottawa Board of Trade and president of Union Engraving and Printing on Spruce Street, says the employment surge will be a boon to the Centretown community from the bottom up.
“It’s great for everybody, on an individual level, but (employment’s) growth and surge is the catalyst that funds all of our social services on a large scale, up to the federal level,” he says.
He says sales have also been picking up for his business and expects a busy holiday season.
Another recent report agrees.
Manpower, an employment service, released their Fourth Quarter Employment Outlook Survey in August which predicts “robust job growth.”
Malini Duguay, Nepean branch manager for Manpower, says things will continue to improve.
“The government is hiring, so is the public sector, retail and offices,” she says.
“There are a lot of jobs out there in every sector, it just depends on what people are looking for.”