Participants sought for annual Sarnia-Lambton employment survey

A relatively weak job market in Sarnia-Lambton could mean more participation in an annual survey of local employers.

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“We have seen in past years when the unemployment rate has been up that it’s been a little easier to get responses,” said Mikelle Bryson-Campbell with the Sarnia Lambton Workforce Development Board about the board’s annual EmployerOne survey and Sarnia-Lambton’s 8.1-per -cent unemployment rate as of September, the most recent data available.

The rate is almost a full percentage point higher than September 2023, when it was 7.2 per cent, according to statistics from the provincially funded not-for-profit that researches and fosters conversation about local labor market trends.

Employers may have to be creative to find the right candidates with more people looking, said Bryson-Campbell, the board’s executive director.

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Sarnia-Lambton’s participation rate also was up year-over-year in September, to 61.5 per cent from 60 per cent.

One of the things the 12th annual EmployerOne survey asks is how employers seek out applicants, Bryson-Campbell said.

The 11th EmployerOne survey’s results, released around March, showed, for the first time, online job boards surpassing word of mouth as the top recruitment method among survey participants.

Whether that continues will be among the things researchers are looking for this time, Bryson-Campbell said.

“We’re asking about are there any retention or recruitment issues, what skills employers are looking for, do they expect to have to lay off any workers or hire more workers … really to get a sense of the landscape of what it looks like for small, medium and large employers in the area,” she said.

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The short survey that drew a record 304 participants last running — 326 is the target this time — has been used by employment agencies in the past to help address things such as soft skill gaps, when they’re identified, Bryson-Campbell said.

Business owners also use it to keep learned of how they’re faring compared to others in their respective sectors, she said.

Many of the questions in the five- to 15-minute survey remain the same this year, but researchers plan to use a relatively larger sample size to dig a bit deeper, she said.

“So, are there specific skills that employers are looking for in specific industries” or if folks are leaving certain sectors in greater numbers than others, she said.

Interested employers have until Jan. 31 to take the survey, at surveymonkey.com/r/employerone2025she said.

Results will likely be released mid-March, Bryson-Campbell said.

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