Conference Shows Aboriginal Workers In Demand

Conference Shows Aboriginal Workers In Demand

Wednesday, June 03, 2009 at 16:43

 

 

Baby boomers are starting to retire, and that’s creating lots of job opportunities for Aboriginal people, experts say.

 

Panelists at a conference in Saskatoon yesterday said thousands of jobs will need to be filled over the next decade or two.

 

Pam Schwann of the Saskatchewan Mining Association says they’re looking for 18,000 workers over the next 10 years.

 

Schwann says the mining industry is a good fit for Aboriginal people, because they’re quite familiar with it.

 

The First Nations and Metis population is young and ready to enter the workforce, and the mining industry is the largest non-governmental employer of Aboriginal people in the country, so there is “a lot of history together already,” Schwann says.

 

Kathleen Livingston of the Environmental Industry and Managers Association says their industry is looking for Aboriginal workers too.

 

Livingston says it’s also a good fit because First Nations and Metis have a long history of taking good care of the land, making them the ideal demographic to recruit.

 

The Workforce and Workplace Strategies conference ends today.