Job seekers in Yellowknife had a chance to take in a job fair that was casual in nature earlier this month.
The Conseil de développement économique des Territoires du Nord-Ouest (CDETNO) hosted an employment cafe at Diamond Plaza on April 10. Those who attended could drop off resumes to companies in attendance and enjoy some light refreshments. CDETNO hosts the cafe twice a year with the exception of last September due to the wildfire evacuation.
The event drew 18 employers and more than 60 guests came through within the first hour.
Frederic Deschenes, president of CDETNO, said the event was a win-win.
“From the employment side of view, you can show up here, meet some potential employees, people you might not have considered in the first place,” he said. “They might not have shown up at your door and give you a resume because they might not know that you existed.”
He added that the event was to help develop the city’s economy.
Francois Afane, CDETNO’s executive director, said one of the major challenges for the city is the shortage of labour and this was a way to help.
He mentioned that finding the balance between inviting enough employers to the event and having enough job seekers could be hard, and it is always an ongoing battle. To address that problem, he said the organization has gone with the traditional way, which is to talk to people directly and network wherever they can.
Mayor Rebecca Alty was on hand to speak at the cafe. Although the City of Yellowknife didn’t have an official seat, Alty said she is looking forward to the city being part of this next time.
She also said though the city hasn’t hosted any job fairs like this before and is not planning on putting one on, she said organizations like CDETNO can host events like this.
“We’re trying to help residents in other ways, such as solving housing problems, land claims, regulation, and process optimization to build the road for and attract immigration, with the territorial government taking care of the employment part and providing funding to NGOs to address the problem,” said Alty.
Noma Mangena, vice-president of people with Det’on Cho Group of Companies, was one of the employers on hand and said the company had challenges keeping enough housekeepers and cooks for the hospitality division to support the mining operations.
She said she had collected more than 30 resumes in the first hour and believed something like this could help them a lot.
