'We have a huge advantage over the United States'
With many employers moving to allow more workers to become remote, the competition to entice businesses to build in certain communities is more difficult.
But the Waterloo region in Ontario has its benefits, according to Tony La Mantia, president and CEO of the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation in Kitchener Ont.
“We have a huge advantage over the United States when it comes to social justice issues; even things like democracy — increasingly, people want to work in communities where there is a little bit more social harmony,” he says. “If you want to let COVID rip, there are some communities that you can go to: Florida, Texas; if you want a community that looks out for each other and is more focused on best practices for public health and takes that seriously, look no further than Waterloo region.”
Companies such as Google have also announced plans to expand in Canada, hiring an estimated 3,000 new positions.
“Increasingly, for knowledge-based industries, it’s all about the talent, it’s about the quality of the talent in the ecosystem,” says La Mantia.
“Admittedly, we can be pretty picky, we can be pretty discerning about the kinds of companies that we target, and we welcome companies that want to be a meaningful part of the ecosystem that want to care about social justice issues that have their own good community brand and are not going to upset the applecart as far as talent because it’s a very fierce environment for talent.”
As well, the community has benefited by having some companies shift focus to address new needs imposed by the pandemic, he says.
“For PPE capacity… we went from one or two companies that could get into the space in March of 2020 [and] by September of 2020, over 90 companies that were manufacturing swabs for testing, respirators, gowns, gloves, sanitizer, you name it, to the point where we actually have some globally significant N95 manufacturing lines, companies like PrimeMed, Eclipse Automation, Canadian Shield, and that ended up being good for business. We had 2020 ended up being better than 2019, because we focused on local support.”
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia is also reaching out to skilled workers by offering tax breaks to younger employees.
Getting back to the office
The pandemic has forced companies to really focus on their brand and while that can be difficult to do with lockdowns, “things like 360-degree virtual tours and really pronounced statements are shining a light on what they do for diversity, equity, and inclusion. These are all things that have really been part of the pitch,” says La Mantia.
Even though many people are working remotely, “some companies have already signalled that flexibility to transition to physical [workplaces] and suddenly companies are starting to make some moves, he says.
Tony La Mantia
When COVID finally fades, office vacancies will be quickly scooped up, says La Mantia.
“Let’s say that this Omicron wave turns out to be the last wave, and then this is more an endemic thing that we deal with… by summer of 2022, we have a pretty good sense that’s it; you would be stunned at how quickly physical space open workspaces and commercial real estate will get swallowed up.”
Montreal is hoping to entice workers back downtown with a new ad campaign.
Labour shortage solutions
Governments should address a coming labour shortage, says La Mantia, as manufacturing firms in Ontario are going to lose significant talent, and “there isn’t a ready pipeline to fill up these engineering technology jobs and technician jobs.”
It’s also important to give more immigrants a path to citizenship, which will help attract more highly skilled workers, he says.
“We reached the point where I’d rather put some public pressure on policymakers to really think about that. The province is stepping up with the trades stuff, and licensing of foreign-trained nurses and other professionals in health care. I think we have to expand that and get really serious about the talent shortage because it’s not going to change anytime soon.”
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