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Forestry sector is hiring again

Pulp and paper companies expect to boost their work force by 60,000 over the next seven years, a significant turnaround for an industry that not so long ago was a basket case, laying off workers by the tens of thousands as mills shut down across the country.

The sector is coming through a painful period marked by low-cost competition from emerging markets, the collapse of the U.S. housing industry and the high Canadian dollar – not to mention the 2008 global recession. But today, says a Globe and Mail article, the forestry industry is taking steps to reinvent itself by entering new markets and finding new roles in areas such as cosmetics, auto parts and jet fuel. Suddenly, once-struggling companies are rushing to fill a labour gap.

That means seeking out not only new employees in traditional jobs to replace an aging baby-boomer work force, but also more specialized, highly skilled people in such sectors as chemical engineering, international marketing and technology.
Forestry companies are also trying to win back skilled employees who were lured to lucrative work in the oil patch.

To meet the huge demand for new blood, the industry is staging its first national jobs fair at next month's annual PaperWeek Canada event in Montreal. Job seekers will get to meet recruiters from several major Canadian forestry companies, including Resolute Forest Products Inc., Domtar Corp. and Tembec Inc.

Click here to read the full article.

January 14, 2013  By The Globe and Mail



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