In Ontario, growing demand in skilled trades and mismatch of skills have been a phenomenon that raises many concerns. The Planning Board conducted this research project to study the current skilled trades situation in the four county area. More specifically, this report aims to add local employers’ perspectives to the understanding of the labour market conditions in Ontario. Through both qualitative and quantitative analysis, this report identifies the in-demand skilled trades in the four county area and analyzes the underlying factors that cause this situation.

Main results show that the in-demand skilled trades in the four county area are licensed technicians, electricians, and industrial mechanics. The top three reasons for these hard-to-fill positions are the lack of certificated people in the labour market, lack of local transportation, and lower pay. With an aging workforce as the top issue for local employers, they are also concerned with a lack of available qualified workers in the market. In order to solve these problems, several recommendations are generated: