Recruiting and retaining staff is a challenge for the commercial property industry in Canada’s national capital, Ottawa, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Building Owners and Managers Association and Hays, a recruiting firm.
Over half of respondents (57 per cent) said they are recruiting, but only 40 per cent said they are increasing their staff. These figures suggest that a number of firms are hiring only to fill vacant positions.
About one-quarter of those surveyed said that attrition in Ottawa had increased over the past 12 months. Higher salaries and benefits in the public sector are leading to employees leaving their jobs for greener career pastures.
The survey also revealed that due to “lack of awareness of the industry,” new candidates are not entering this market.
It recommends that local commercial property managers and owners develop co-op plans with local schools to make students aware of existing opportunities.
The survey also took a look at wages within the commercial property industry. For several positions, wages offered in Ottawa were lower than in other regions. The exceptions were for positions such as senior operations manager, director of operations, and security-related jobs, where wages in the city were at the higher end of the pay scale.
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