Sudbury economic outlook 'slow and steady,' says Workforce Planning

Workforce Planning Sudbury and Manitoulin describes the economic outlook for the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts as “slow and steady” in its Local Labour Market Plan 2014.

“Similar to last year, Greater Sudbury and district are still being impacted by the sluggish pace of the mining industry,” the report said. “Although mining continues to be a significant part of the regional economy, it is not the only economic driver. In fact, it is the small and medium enterprises that form the economic backbone of our area.”

Workforce Planning said there are more than 10,000 small and medium enterprises in Greater Sudbury and the surrounding districts, while there are only 15 enterprises with 500 employees or more.

But the report highlighted gaps in the labour market, and pointed out expectations from employers and new post-secondary graduates often don't align.

“The Canadian Chamber of Commerce forecast a significant skilled trades shortage while others report it as a mismatch of skills related to geographic area and demand,” the report's executive summary said.

Workforce Planning's end goal is to provide industry, educational institutions, government and employment services with evidence to support workforce growth.

But the Local Labour Market Plan 2014 concluded issues such as the skilled labour shortage, geographic labour mismatches, differing expectations between employers and future employees, and a lack of apprenticeships leave more questions than answers.

“At Workforce Planning for Sudbury and Manitoulin, we are committed to working together with our local, regional and provincial partners in industry, government, education, training and employment, economic development, labour and others to help minimize these gaps and mitigate some of the labour market challenges that are slowly bubbling to the surface,” the organization concluded.”