December 13, 2010 Reminder of two workshops this week addressing the impending workforce labour shor

New date of York Region conference set for February 22

NEWMARKET – The Regional Municipality of York is encouraging employers across the Region to attend free workshops to discuss how to address the challenges of impending workforce labour shortages.

Estimates suggest that 100,000 to 150,000 people who work in York Region will retire during the next five to 10 years.

Two workshops were held already at the end of November and early December. The next one will be held on Wednesday in the Town of Markham. On Thursday, another workshop will be held in the Town of Richmond Hill (see table below).

York Region has changed the date of the conference it will host on the topic to February 22 from the previous date of February 8. The location is still to be confirmed.

Date and Time

Co-host and Location

Tuesday, December 14

8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Co-hosted by the Town of Markham and the Markham Small Business Centre

Markham Convergence Centre

7271 Warden Ave, Markham

Thursday, December 16

8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Co-hosted by the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce

Sheraton Parkway

600 Highway 7 East, Richmond Hill

Tuesday, February 22

8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Economic Strategy Branch of The Regional Municipality of York

Stakeholder Conference

Keynote Speaker: Rick Miner, “People without Jobs, Jobs without People”

Location to be determined. Visit www.investinyork.ca/events for details.

Beyond the Boomers: A York Region Employer’s Guide to the Labour Force Shortage will be available at the workshops. The workshops will be facilitated by Sandra Weeks, author of Best Practices: Organizational Development.

To register online, please visit investinyork.ca/events or contact Michelle Dufrane at michelle.dufrane@york.ca or call 905 830-4444, Ext. 1596.

Background

Over the next five to 10 years, an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 baby boomers in the workforce across The Regional Municipality of York will retire.

While medium to large York Region employers will be challenged to recruit and replace these people, the issue of workforce planning will be even more critical at small entrepreneurial firms that comprise more than 70 per cent of firms in the Region.

Younger workers may not be available in sufficient supply to meet the needs of York Region’s growing economy.

To assist York Region employers as they develop workforce plans and strategies to maintain an adequate, skilled labour supply, York Region’s Economic Strategy Branch has prepared case studies, best practices and information tools and resources as part of its Aging Workforce Study.

The Aging Workforce Study undertook three surveys:
• The boomer retirement survey to forecast retirement trends, including older workers who plan to pursue second careers after retiring
• The employer workforce survey to identify employers’ future growth and workforce needs
• The youth career survey to estimate the supply of youth for York Region jobs that will assist employers in making plans to recruit and train youth

This study was undertaken with funding from Employment Ontario, an initiative of the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

For more information on The Regional Municipality of York, please visit www.york.ca

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Media Contact: Tim Paleczny, Corporate Communications Specialist, York Region
Phone: 905 830-4444, Ext. 1238, 416 297-9696 or Toll free 1-877-464-9675
Cell: 905 251-6413 Email: tim.paleczny@york.ca

Reminder of two workshops this week addressing the impending workforce labour shortages

New date of York Region conference set for February 22