SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A website advertising the NWT as a prime place to work in the Health and Social Services (HSS) fields was launched officially on Monday.

The website, created with a $110,000 budget, is to be constantly updated with job opportunities, and also details government bursaries for Northern students going into medicine.

Health Minister Sandy Lee, left, Human Resources Minister Bob McLeod and Gordon Ross, manager of recruitment support with human resources, promote the government's new website which is aimed at attracting health and social services professionals to the North. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

"The current vacancy rates of health professionals in the North is approximately 18 to 21 per cent, depending on the actual position itself," said Gordon Ross, manager of recruitment support with the Department of Human Resources.

Thirty of 134 allied health positions are vacant in the NWT Health and Social Services Authority. These are professions distinct from medicine, nursing and dentistry, which specialize in certain areas of health care.

As well, many communities outside of Yellowknife do not have permanent nurses or social workers, said Sandy Lee, Minister of Health and Social Services.

"The recruitment of health and social service professionals is becoming more and more difficult," said Lee.

"The Northwest Territories is competing in a global market, and to stay competitive we need to constantly update our tools in order to attract the professionals we need."

Minister of Human Resources Bob McLeod referred to the website as "the way of the future" and said the government is looking at using "e-recruiting" for the recruitment of all civil service positions in the future.

"The Department of Health and Social Services has moved forward to realign our recruitment strategies away from more traditional medias such as print and advertising in journals, etcetera, to where individuals are currently getting their information on future employment through the use of online means," said Ross.

On what the website offers, Lee said "the website will recruit health and social services professionals using direct communication with potential candidates, dynamic current information on communities in the Northwest Territories, provide key contacts in each health authority, testimonials from current health and social services professionals and most importantly, current job opportunities and benefits packages."

Ross said there will eventually be live news feeds updated daily on job opportunities, and the website will be maintained on a monthly schedule.