There might not be 2,200 would-be meat cutters looking for jobs in Brandon, but community development officials here say Maple Leaf won’t have a problem finding workers for its new meat packing plant.
Ted Eastley, with the agriculture and rural enterprise division of Assiniboine Community College in Brandon, said only two-thirds of grade 12 students in Western Manitoba graduate and enter college or university.
That means more than 3,000 students leave grade 12 and enter the work force.
“It will mean pursuing them to come to college and take things like business administration because a business like this coming into town means a lot more businesses here are going to need accountants, secretarial support, carpenters, plumbers,” Eastley said.
Read Also
Key actions identified to address canola tariffs
Federal and Saskatchewan governments discuss next steps with industry on Chinese tariffs
“There’s a lot more to this than just meat cutting.”
Service industry opportunities
Eastley said the city should expect an influx of jobs in the service industry paying anywhere from $8-$15 per hour.
Lee Jebb, manager of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the city’s work force sees wages jump $1 an hour over the next few years because of the new plant.
Students coming out of high school are only part of the labor force equation, he added.
“Eighty percent of farm families in this area have both people working off the farm now. High school grads are just a piece of it.”
The plant will bring construction jobs at the beginning, and Jebb said he expects many contractors working on the expansion of the Simplot plant here will roll into jobs with Maple Leaf.
“We’ve got two years to address the labor market and when it does start, it will be 750 jobs at first and in the next six years up to 2,200.”
