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Surrey’s new ‘Employment Bridge’ aims to address labour shortage, job/vacancy ‘mismatch’

Online tool ‘for Surrey employers and job seekers to connect,’ on Surrey Board of Trade website
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Black Press file photo

A new Employment Bridge launched by Surrey Board of Trade aims to address current labour shortages and “the mismatch of skilled labour and job vacancies.”

The online workforce centre is touted as “a new tool for Surrey employers and job seekers to connect,” on businessinsurrey.com.

“It is designed to make it easier for employers to find prospective employees that have undergone formalized training, reskilling, and upskilling in different job functions across various industries.”

The portal includes a Job Board (“for employers to share new employment opportunities”) and Applicant Board (for SBOT-approved resumes from applicants who have “most recently graduated from an accredited training institution in a specialized program”).

The Job Board will be shared by SBOT on social media and with “relevant talent.

For SBOT members to post employment opportunities to the Job Board, they must log in to an account and submit a new job posting, the organization notes in a news release.

The Applicant Board lists positions in accounting/payroll, admin, agriculture/horticulture, community support, digital business management, health care, public works, warehousing and more.

• RELATED STORY: Surrey businesses having a rough time hiring, keeping staff.

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Surrey Board of Trade says it is “actively working on and enhancing partnerships with local service providers, academic and training institutions, and community groups to help employers source from strategic and diversified talent pools to address the labour shortages across all industries.”

Current labour issues in the region need “creative and collaborative solutions,” according to Anita Huberman, President and CEO of Surrey Board of Trade.

“Every day the Surrey Board of Trade receives multiple requests related to recruitment and workforce development challenges, which emphasizes the need to explore all possible talent pools, including local diverse groups such as immigrants, Indigenous, youth, persons with disabilities, and veterans. Every person matters.”

Surrey businesses are having a rough time finding and retaining employees, particularly in the realm of jobs involving lower pay.

“We’re trying to drill down on what the reasons are for this immediate, significant skills and labour crunch during the pandemic,” Huberman told the Now-Leader in November. “Every single day at least one phone call is received from one of our members, or even a non-member, saying, ‘We need help trying to find labour.’

“This is a real test of the economy, to see if businesses can survive without that wage subsidy that they relied on,” she added.

with a file from Tom Zytaruk



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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