Working Close To Home

There is an aggressive recruiting campaign about to get underway in Prince George. In response to the high unemployment in the forest industry and close to 3000 people out of work in PG, a job fair is planned for June 25, 2008. The only down side is; it will feature a number of employers recruiting for positions in other cities. Not so good for the unemployed worker who loves to call Prince George home.

Positions are said to range from professional to entry level. Of course the other challenge the out of work labourer faces will be finding an entry level job with wages that match the type of money labourers made in forestry and lumber. These are the individuals who may need to consider a career change if they want to stay in the area.

The situation in Chilliwack is not so different from Prince George. We may not have a forestry industry going down the tubes around us, but we do have a lot of people choosing to live here because they love the valley. Part of living here is being able to find one of those family-supporting jobs without having to commute.

So what is the secret? Only move to Chilliwack, or Prince George, if you are confident you can make big money. Ok, that may not be possible, how about; know yourself and your labour market. Get to know what is hot and what is not. Identify your key skills and interests and where they fit into today’s labour market. The displaced worker on EI may also want to take the time to find out what funding options are available for retraining based on their interests.

If “where you live” defines “who you are”, more than “what you do for a living”, a career path that leads home will become your priority.

Glen Slingerland - Skills 101 / Job Development