How to overcome employee shortages with workers from other provinces

The Talent Group Canada Inc., specialists in skilled trades staffing and inter-provincial talent relocation; recommends organizations succeed during the ongoing talent crunch by engaging talent from other provinces.

“A rising trend among employers in talen scarce markets, [such as the construction industry] is to seek potential employees from neighbouring provinces. The process of securing employees for permanent, project or seasonal roles that will relocate for work or even for fly-in-fly-out positions can be extremely difficult and expensive for an employer if not executed carefully.” says Chris Campitelli, owner/CEO of The Talent Group Canada. “For those that manage this opportunity correctly, it can quickly resolve real talent shortages.”

Below are some tips for organizations that will assist in making any inter-provincial relocation a success.

1.     Streamline your onboarding process

Feedback from numerous National and Global organizations in Western Canada has indicated that the majority of interprovincial candidate turnover occurs within the first 90 days. To avoid this, employers need to have a methodical onboarding framework in place for any interprovincial candidates to ensure that this 90-day period is clearly mapped out. Small and seemingly insignificant challenges or issues have a much larger impact on relocated employees during those first 90 days. The response most commonly seen from poor onboarding is the employee returning to their home province.

2.     Decrease the cost and risk

For a potential employee in another province, relocating is an expensive and risky undertaking. Organizations that plan to make this relocation less financially taxing and a little less risky will have greater success. Pre-paid plane tickets, gas cards, bus or train tickets will add a great deal of value to any employer’s compensation/relocation package. For those looking to really stand out from their competitors, a temporary housing arrangement will always signal to top talent that the employer is committed.

3.     Build a good, local reputation

Some organizations believe they can show up in a city, rent a hotel conference room, spend some advertising dollars on radio, newspaper and web advertising and expect to see top talent walking in the door. This is not the case. Interprovincial recruiting is all about trust and reputation. A much better approach is to become involved with associations or charitable and community events, outside of trips that are exclusively for recruiting. Building a local brand is a long-term solution and an essential one if the need is a continued access to talent.

4.     Strategic partnerships

Any organization’s recruiting efforts can only benefit from a relationship with a staffing vendor that is local to the province from which the employer is trying to source talent. When an organization is aligning itself with a staffing vendor as a strategic partner for talent relocation, there are two critical questions that should be answered, before pricing is even discussed.

A.)  Does this vendor specialize? Avoid staffing companies that staff for any position and in all industries; align with an organization that focuses on your specific industry.

B.)  Does the staffing vendor have a history of successfully, inter-provincially relocating people? Get a minimum of two client references and placed candidate references as well.

The Canadian skilled worker shortage will continue to plague businesses and have a larger impact on the-bottom-line with each passing year. Inter-provincial talent relocation with good planning, solid partnerships and a commitment to stellar candidate experiences is a sustainable, long-term solution that gives employers access to the talented individuals they require to succeed.