Their product is steel. But the quest is to find people.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco is going through a demographic changing of the guard and the steelmaker needs to hire hundreds of people as soon as possible.

"The baby boomers are retiring. I'm close to that. We have be attritting naturally 250 to 300 a year for the past few years and into the next few years. So we are replacing those people," said CEO Sean Donnelly.

And on Saturday, ArcelorMittal will host what is believed to be a first job fair to work toward filling the void.

"We've participated in job fairs hosted by other organizations, but this is the first job fair fully dedicated to Dofasco at our location," said Katrina McFadden, vice-president of people and culture.

"There are lots of opportunities for people of kinds skill sets."

The company needs to hire 300 people per year over the next three years. Recruiters are looking for millwrights, steamfitters, electricians and welders, as well as information technology workers and more. Further information can be found at the company's website.

"This is part of an ongoing hiring campaign. Since 2015 we have hired 2,000 people already," she said. "We are basically seeing 50 per cent of our organization retire."

Currently, about 5,000 people work at ArcelorMittal Dofasco, with 3,500 in manufacturing and the rest in support and administration positions.

"We have put a lot of effort into replacing those people to transfer the knowledge of our highly skilled employees to the new people coming into the organization," she said.

"We're very focused on hiring the best and the brightest that the area has to offer. We think we have a great experience here for people to grow their career, to develop their full potential. We are hoping they will come out Saturday and learn what we are all about and be interested in joining us."

As a result of the turnover of recent years, she said 40 per cent of the current workforce has less than five years seniority on the job at the company.

It's a problem across the manufacturing sector more broadly.

The Ontario Skilled Trades Alliance says more than 40 per cent of the employers it surveyed would hire more people if they could find people with the right skills.

As well, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce last year said in a report that more than 60 per cent of its members couldn't find qualified people to fill vacant positions and the problem was particularly acute in skilled trades.

"The manufacturing sector has been a kind of canary in the coal mine for skills shortage issues in other areas of work. We started hearing from the them three or four years ago about how difficult it was to find certified skilled trades workers," said Judy Travis, executive director of Workforce Planning Hamilton, an organization that monitors local labour trends.

She said the sector should have been doing more to "bring up more young workers in the system."

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"The sector is paying now for the sins and omissions of the past. It's my opinion that they haven't done as much training as they should.," Travis said.

"It takes five years to build a good trades worker and they didn't do their due diligence back 10 years ago. And now we are starting to run out of workers."

ArcelorMittal Dofasco Job Fair

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: 1330 Burlington St. E.

For information: dofasco.arcelormittal.com

ArcelorMittal Dofasco Job Fair

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: 1330 Burlington St. E.

For information: dofasco.arcelormittal.com



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