It seems almost everywhere you go in Regina there is a HELP WANTED sign posted in the window of the businesses along the way.  Employers are desperately seeking bodies to fill vacant positions in every area of restaurant, hospitality, office and clerical field imaginable; often lowering expectations dramatically with new hires just to open these positions up to a wider target audience.  Yes there is a labour shortage in Saskatchewan and it’s not restricted to the trades.  In retrospect, the rate of employee turn-over in these positions is also climbing.  With so many positions available there are a lot of entry-level employees seeking greener pastures after only grazing around their current fields for a short period of time, many of those who have yet to reach the big 20!  Some employers are giving feedback that by lowing their new employee qualifications they are essentially getting exactly what they wanted – only they really wanted more.

Enter the need for post-secondary education and/or formalized training.  As it turns out, those who have this level of education behind them find employment prospects increase dramatically in today’s competitive market. 

Even those who are employed but seeking advancement will often surprise themselves upon learning they would only require a few courses to qualify for such a promotion, leaving another vacant position behind ready to be filled by the next person trained with the skills necessary for success.  Isn’t that what formal education is supposed to do for you?  So what are you doing about your formal education?

So you can follow the obvious clues that will lead you to paid employment or you can invest in greater opportunities and bigger paycheques down the road by taking the longer road to success, the choice is yours to make.  Don’t wait too long because there are indicators out there that suggest Saskatchewan will soon be the next province to ‘boom’ in the job market and that can only lead to an increase in population – competitors for those jobs that are now waiting to be filled.  If you’ve been to any of the local employment websites lately you’ll know exactly what I mean.