2. Talent : Still the Defining Factor Kevin Stoddart, Vice President May 14, 2009

3. Robertson Surrette 35 years helping clients ‘build great companies’ by developing high performance people, teams and cultures Over 30 professionals across our region Regional expertise, national reach Focus on Recruitment, Career Transition, & HR Consulting

5. Success Begins With Talent “The ability to make good decisions regarding people remains one of the last reliable sources of competitive advantage…” ~ Peter Drucker Your people = THE critical success factor in business

6. The Talent Crunch Feels strange to be talking about a talent crunch when so many people are looking for work Should we still be concerned about the war for talent and the much discussed labour shortage?

7. Booming economy Heightened demand for employees Regulatory accounting reforms & other factors created a spike in demand Became a “seller’s market” for specialized individuals (e.g.: accountants ) Pre-Financial Downturn

8. Unemployment rates at historic lows: –National: 6.1% as of September 2008 –NB: 8.0% as of September 2008 –NS: 7.6% as of September 2008

9. Recession Hits… November 2008 to March 2009 –Decrease of 357,000 employees in Canada APEC reported this week 18,000 fewer jobs in our region from peak last year Many economists predict Canadian unemployment to continue to rise

10. Recession Hits… Current unemployment rates: –National: 8.0% –NB: 9.5% –NS: 9.2%

11. Looking Ahead… The most important corporate resource over the next 20 years will be talent: smart, sophisticated businesspeople who are technologically literate, globally astute, and operationally agile. McKinsey & Co study involving 77 companies and almost 6,000 managers and executives

12. Looking Ahead… The war for talent will not be quelled by temporary economic downturn Companies should approach talent acquisition with a long-term view

13. Still a seller’s market for talented individuals due to demographics and outmigration How organizations navigate these tougher times will influence their reputation and dictate their ability to attract & retain top employees Labour market still tight

14. So what can we do?

15. Recruitment Best Practices Consult with stakeholders to determine critical success factors Identify key selection criteria –Hard vs soft skills Invest in your Employment Brand Embrace diversity

16. Recruitment Best Practices Put the candidate first Sell your organization, know your employment value proposition Think nationally, even globally Move to performance-based rewards

17. Recruitment Best Practices Constantly recruit Give recruitment the focus it deserves Don’t settle – especially now!

18. What challenges have you seen when recruiting? How is the local market? Other comments/ questions?

19. Thank You! Kevin Stoddart, Vice President Tel: (902) 424-1128 kevin.stoddart@robertsonsurrette.com