The fastest growing city in Ontario is preparing for economic prosperity.

Recent success in attracting jobs to the London area exceeds the local labor market - leaving many companies struggling to hire new employees.

On Tuesday, the London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) requested a city council committee to spend $1.5 million over three years on a talent attraction initiative to grow the local workforce.

According to one report, the initiative will “identify, recruit, and connect targeted newcomers, entrepreneurs, and international students with the needs of employers in London.”

Mayor Ed Holder told his fellow council members, “We have at least 6,000 jobs coming to this community in the short term, and that could reach 8,000 to 10,000.”

The anticipated openings of Maple Leaf Foods, Amazon, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) headquarters, and many new manufacturers in the coming years could lead to an economically exhausting labor shortage.

In addition to programs working to develop the talents of current workers, London will look globally to solve labor shortages and skills gaps. 

The recent “Don’t Tell Toronto” campaign by LEDC encouraged workers and residents in the Greater Toronto Area to consider moving to London.

The one-year marketing campaign cost about $400,000. Many council members wondered whether the new globally focused initiative would require a much higher budget or not.

The Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee unanimously supported spending $1.5 million from the $10 million Economic and Social Recovery Fund for Epidemics.

In a statement, it said, “We will diversify the geography of this recruitment. We are not only looking at China and India but we will look around the world and down to the United States.”

Holder emphasized the urgent need, saying, “We need to bring more people into this community. This is critical to the success and growth of this city.”