Building Business Across Ontario’s North

Northern Ontario’s Employment Ontario Employment Agencies: Partners in Growing Business

Facts at-a-glance

Over 30 Employment Ontario employment agencies serve business’ staffing needs across the Province’s north.
In 2022-23, we served 4,220 Northern businesses, placing 11,860 people in new jobs and supporting 2,440 people to return to school for retraining.
Locally, in Red Lake, over the last 10 years alone, we have served over 450 businesses and helped over 1,160 people reach their goals.
About 90% of the employers we serve are small- and medium-sized businesses–48% only have 1-10 staff, and 41% have 11-50 staff.
23% of those who access our services to find jobs are on social assistance—the other 77% are those who are first time job seekers, have lost their jobs, are recent post-secondary graduates, or are seeking re-training for a second career

Experts in Employment

Across Northern Ontario, over 30 employment agencies, in centres both large and small, act as essential partners to local businesses. Last year alone (2022-2023), we helped 4,220 employers find 11,860 employees. As a sector, we work together to share best practices and strategize to address key issues in the North.

Experts in Northern Ontario Business

We know the many ways in which life in the North is different because we live and work across this vast geography. We have developed strong relationships with many First Nation communities. We understand the North’s widespread population, long travel times, higher costs of living, and higher rates of poverty and other barriers to employment. Every day, we help business overcome these obstacles. More than ever our expert services are needed as the province commits to supporting economic growth and development in the North by cutting through delays and investing in infrastructure.

Keeping the North Open for Business

When government invests in employment agencies, they are directly supporting the many businesses we work with every day. About 90% of the employers we serve are small- and medium-sized businesses. Employers tell us that if it wasn’t for us, they would be forced to leave northern communities. Our relationships run deep. Together, we keep local business thriving, ensuring there is an able and ready workforce. Small- and medium-sized businesses underpin the tax base across northern communities. We help to strengthen the economy, ensuring every dollar invested is leveraged and multiplied.

Reducing Long-Term Unemployment

We get Ontarians into the workforce. While about 23% of those workers who access our services to find jobs are on social assistance, most of the workers we recruit, train, and place in jobs are new to the workforce, right out of Ontario’s colleges, or are re-training mid-career. Because we serve such a wide-range of Ontarians, those on social assistance are placed in jobs right alongside other job seekers—lessening stigma, ensuring employers have all that is needed to meet their needs, and getting all Northerners back to work. We support the newly hired for up to a year after employment to see them succeed in the long term.

Addressing the Labour Shortage

We close the skills gap, support apprenticeships and promote the skilled trades. The North has a labour shortage and a workforce that isn’t always job ready—so we help reduce businesses’ hiring and training costs. We act as recruiters. We work with higher education specialists and offer programming to address the urgent skills shortage, in ways that are unique to Northern employers and our workforce. We connect employers with support to train current employees and improve their skills to meet evolving labour needs.

The HR Department of the North

In the North, there’s often nowhere else for a business owner to turn. Many small businesses rely on us to meet their staffing demands. Employment agencies are practical and efficient organizations. In fact, many small businesses in the North come to think of us as their HR department because we reduce their costs and cut through hiring red tape. We develop jobs, craft descriptions, deploy job postings, analyze an entrepreneur’s changing staffing needs, and connect employers with support to train their existing employees. All of this drives the economy, helping businesses stay profitable.

Efficient and Cost Effective

As transfer payment agencies, we have a long track record of demonstrating value for taxpayer dollar. We work efficiently with one another, and our other local partners, to ensure Ontarian’s get maximum value from our services. Also, we are well leveraged – funded by both the Governments of Ontario and Canada, as well as other local sources – to meet the needs of employers across Northern Ontario and to ensure our workforce is skilled and ready for the changing economy.

Your Employment Service:

Red Lake Career & Employment Services has been proudly serving Red Lake & Ear Falls for over 30 years.
We have a passionate staff who care about helping people and seeing our communities grow.
Last year alone, on-the-job training was supported by our agency in the following sectors: Accommodation & Food Services, Construction, Retail, Administration & Support, Transportation, Mining, and Sales & Service
Sponsored by Red Lake Margaret Cochenour Memorial Hospital.

“Red Lake Career & Employment Services staff are all awesome and an incredible asset to the community!” Agency User

For more information please contact:

Sandra Marshall, Director

(807) 727-2297 / smarshall4jobs@shaw.ca