Finding qualified employees is a big issue for small businesses in Muskoka.
This is from Executive Director of the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce Kelly Haywood.
Haywood says the jobs are there and she believes there are people out there qualified to do the work, but they’re just not applying.
She says another issue seems to be that young employees aren’t armed with the basic skills to start in an entry-level position.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce recently released a report showing 82 per cent of businesses in the province had difficulty finding qualified employees in 2016.
Haywood says chamber officials in Muskoka are now working with Muskoka district officials and Explorers’ Edge to find out what is keeping qualified job seekers from applying for work in these communities.
She says the biggest message officials want to get out is there are jobs available to a variety of seekers in Muskoka.