ATTRACTING TALENT
Workforce Windsoressex unveils new online tools tailored to finding and retaining skilled employees
Local leaders, employers and workers were handed new tools to aid in the global battle to attract and retain talent or find a job with the unveiling of Workforce Windsoressex’s STARTYQG program.
The tool kit unveiled Monday is the product of nearly a year’s research on what draws people to the region and why they stay or leave. It can be accessed and downloaded free on the Workforce website at: workforcewindsoressex.com/ startyqg.
“We’re hoping this helps companies and the region position themselves for marketing and messaging to the specific people they’re hoping to attract,” said Justin Falconer, senior director at Workforce Windsoressex.
“If you’re looking for someone who is under 45, university educated from Toronto, that’s a different message than for someone from another country. This kit will help you tailor your message.”
The tool kit includes a mapping tool showing what types of companies are located locally, who is hiring and when for job seekers. A similar mapping tool aids employers in locating hard-to-find talent clusters in Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden and Latvia.
Those mapping tools are bundled with a series of strategies, based on data and information obtained from surveying over 920 people.
“We’ve identified some vulnerabilities and hope it allows us to tell our story in way that better resonates with people,” said Julian Villafuerte, Workforce’s project co-ordinator and researcher.
Villafuerte said the genesis for the project came out of data that showed a migration pattern between 2011-2016 that resulted in a net loss in the region of university graduates and employees 45 and under.
“These are the types of people and workers you need to stay,” Villafuerte said.
To achieve that aim, Villafuerte set out to learn what motivates people who move here and why they leave.
The biggest drawing cards for the region are the cost of living and affordable housing, followed by family friendly amenities, weather, short commute times and access to Detroit.
For those moving here from another country, Windsor’s multiculturalism and friendliness was the second most important factor.
“We now have a publication with strategies we can use to make decisions based on actual data and facts provided by the people we’re trying to attract,” Villafuerte said.
The interactive mapping tools will operate in real time in providing the latest information on jobs and employers.
For example, a computer science graduate can use the tool to see what tech companies are located in the area.
They can learn a company’s history of hiring, when they generally hire during the year and what’s available. There’s also contact information.
“We have 4,700 companies in the system right now,” Villafuerte said. “The tool can basically identify all the companies in your field.”
Similarly, the mapping tool for employers allows them to punch in a specific occupation they can’t fill with local talent.
It uses shaded regions to illustrate the density of the clusters of that occupation.
“These tools make it easier for everyone by pulling all the information together in one place,” Falconer said.