Chatham-Kent officials admit they have a challenge in dealing with a survey of workplaces that shows many are having trouble hiring employees, especially if they need people from outside the area.
Kristy Jacobs, project manager with the Chatham-Kent Workforce Planning Board, says that came as a surprise.
"There's a perfect storm of things that come together, it's location and it's wages and the culture and all of the things that people know, or think they know about a company when they come to apply," she says.
The survey also shows that a high school diploma is only acceptable for 25% of jobs.
Jacobs says the rest require college, university, trades or other professional training.
"The employer is in the driver's seat they know what they need to make their operation run smoothly," she says. "They know what they need to make their operation run smoothly, they determine what it is whether it is a college diploma, whether it is a university degree, it just becomes the bare minimum and the more specialized the job the more specialized the education to get you there."
The latest survey or employers shows 54% expect to hire staff this year. But some say they will have difficulty hiring staff locally and difficulty convincing people to move to the area.