Initiatives Prince George is seeking candidates to participate in a study designed to improve local businesses' chances of retaining their employees.
In all, IPG aims to follow 65 new hires recruited to the city by about 30 local employers over three years with a final report to be made public by 2016.
It's looking for a cross section of people both in terms of where they come from - be it within B.C., within Canada or from out-of-country - and in terms of their skills and vocations, from trades people to professionals to hospitality and retail workers.
"We're targeting the spectrum of the economy," IPG chief executive officer Heather Oland said.
The subjects will be interviewed upon arrival in Prince George with IPG checking in intermittently over the study's duration.
Retaining workers has become a challenge in Prince George, recent labour market figures indicate.
As of July, the city's unemployment rate stood at a rock-bottom 4.5 per cent but the decline from 6.6 per cent a year previous appears to be largely due to a shrinking workforce.
Between July 2012 and July 2013, the number of people of working age living in Prince George had declined by 4,100, according to Statistics Canada.
"We are in a competitive employment market and that's a great place to be for job seekers and it also creates challenges and opportunities for employers," Oland said.
A $22,000 grant from the federal government's Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table is paying for the study, which Oland believes is the first of its kind to be undertaken in Northern B.C.
"The results of this study will provide local employers with invaluable information about successful retention strategies and help inform IPG's marketing efforts," Oland said.
Local employers and people who have moved to Prince George for work can get involved in the study by contacting IPG economic development officer Melissa Barcellos at 250-564-0282.
