Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 25/01) - Yellowknife businesses are advertising a very special commodity these days -- well paying jobs.

"We're running with a huge amount of turnover right now. In the fall we will lose about 10 per cent of our staff due to people going back to school," said Yellowknife's Wal-Mart store manager Corey Gillon. Wal-Mart is trying to attract new hires to the North with higher wages.

Miramar's senior geologist, Bob Hauser, stands in front of the Con mine headframe. He says Miramar looks for miners who come from Canada's eastern provinces with experience in the mining industry. - Thorunn Howatt/NNSL photo

"We have a different pay scale than in any other city in Canada," he said. Yellowknife's Wal-Mart offers one of the highest pay-scales in Canada. It is also enticing staff to come from other companies.

"We took a guy from McDonald's yesterday," he said, adding they are competing with other employees by offering promotions within the Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart has 180 people on staff and is needing another 35. Gillon said the turnover rate in Yellowknife is 95 per cent.

He is often questioned, "Why is your turnover rate so high. What are you doing wrong?" Wal-Mart will be holding a job fair sometime in the next month. Construction has slowed down in Yellowknife because companies can't find tradepeople to work on projects. Some builders have been forced to search out of town to find workers.

"We had a problem getting local people," said Reitmans renovations project manager Terri Van-Lambalgen. She said when the renovations group came looking for employees they were shut down.

"The mall manager said 'Good luck if you think you're going to get your store built.'"

After accepting local bids on the project -- some coming in at as much as three times the settled amount -- Reitman's hired a British Columbia firm to complete the work.

"I'm aware of a shortage," said executive director of NWT construction association Dan Worrall.

"We are working on a proposal to the government to revive the program we used to have," he said, referring to a government-funded program meant to encourage and teach unskilled people to work in trades.

"It provided people with skills to land that all-important first job," he said.

The association will be presenting a proposal to the government.

Miramar chief geologist Bob Hauser said workers will be freed up after the Giant mine is returned to the government before December this year. In spite of that Miramar has had trouble finding experienced people.

"We try to hire experienced miners," he said adding Miramar likes to hire miners from eastern provinces like Newfoundland.