The Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission (COEDC) recently conducted its first Business Walk and discovered more than half of businesses are struggling to find employees.

Of the 57 companies interviewed, 16 per cent of businesses rated their environment as fair/steady and 84 per cent rated it as growing. The 57 businesses interviewed represent 760 total employees (110 PT/contract, 650 FT). Businesses interviewed were located in Lake Country, Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, West Kelowna and Peachland.

The Business Walk took place from July 11 to 15, 2016, and represent a broad range of professional services from computer to architects to financial and legal. The majority of businesses involved employ mainly full-time employees, representing 650 full-time employees today. About half (49 per cent) of businesses employ part-time employees in addition to full-time employees, and 14 per cent employ contract/temporary workers.

According to the report, a significant number of professional services expect their total number of full-time employees to increase over the next three years. This would see an additional 103 full-time workers from these businesses alone added to the Central Okanagan economy.

The types of businesses projecting the most significant increase in full-time employees are diverse, including law, investment, and insurance, architectural and accounting firms. Of the respondents who participated, 26 per cent of businesses said they expected their full-time employee numbers to stay about the same over the next three years.

More than half of the companies questioned said they were experiencing difficulty finding employees with the skill sets required. Hard to fill positions included lawyers with specialized experience, legal assistants, conveyancers, certified insurance advisors, engineers and architects.

Discussion about labour-related issues indicated many companies are constantly recruiting even before they have positions available in order to have a constant link with potential hires.

As well, many said they are using multiple recruitment tools to extend their reach to the available workforce including social media, head office recruitment programs, and networking/referrals through the professional associations governing their industry.

The results of the July 2016 Business Walk are communicated to civic and business stakeholders for consideration in the development of programs and services that can assist professional service businesses.