- What is the Canadian Grocery HR Council (CGHRC)?
- What is the Council’s mandate?
- What are the Council’s long-term strategic goals?
- What are the main human resources challenges facing the food retail/wholesale industry?
- How does the industry benefit from the work of the Council?
- What materials are available to assist me with my HR needs?
- How does the CGHRC keep abreast of the latest labour market trends?
- Who sits on the CFIC’s Board of Directors?
1. What is the Canadian Grocery HR Council (CGHRC)?
Created in 2003, the Canadian Grocery HR Council (CGHRC) is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting a collective response to the food retail/wholesale industry’s human resource challenges. We bring together representatives from business, labour, education, government and other professional groups to provide information and solutions in response to the food retail/wholesale industry's human resource challenges.
The Government of Canada, through its Sector Council Program (SCP), contributes funding to support the Council’s infrastructure and project development. The SCP works to enable partnerships that address skills development and human resource issues by establishing, developing and supporting national partnerships and the capacity of partners to address both pressing and emerging issues.
2. What is the Council’s mandate?
Member organizations recognize the CGHRC for its leadership role providing human resource tools that have helped them develop a qualified workforce, reduce employee turnover and position the industry as a desirable career choice.’
3. What are the Council’s long-term strategic goals?
- Improve the image of the industry as a career destination through both outreach activities and better communication of opportunities to those already employed in the sector.
- Enhance Employee Retention by identifying and assisting the industry in addressing key causes of turnover.
- Address identified skill development issues within the sector through the creation of occupational standards and the provision of relevant training tools and resources.
- Become the recognized source within the sector for Labour Market intelligence to inform strategic human resource planning and activities.
4. What are the main human resource challenges facing the food retail/wholesale industry ?
The Canadian food retail/wholesale industry faces unprecedented competitive pressures both domestically and globally. Shifting consumer preferences, a growing number of different outlets for consumers (including electronic shopping), and rapid technological changes have all had an impact on the industry’s economic results. It’s critical to the future of the food industry to attract, recruit and retain quality employees in order to stay ahead of the curve.
In 1998, a national human resources study of the food retail/wholesale industry was completed. This report, entitled, “Creating the Future, a Human Resources Study of the Canadian Food Retail and Wholesale Sector,” provided an analysis of the competitive issues facing the industry with special emphasis on its human resource development and training challenges. The original report was comprehensively updated and added to with a detailed survey. This report is entitled, “Creating the Future: UPDATE July 2004”, and it identified the following human resource issues as critical to the stability of the industry’s workforce:
- Industry image – One of the areas of greatest concern is the perceived poor image of the industry as a career destination, particularly among potential employees.
- Full-time/part-time dynamic – 50-70% of the food retail workforce is part-time.
- Career opportunities – Many young employees abandon the sector due to a perceived lack of career paths into management opportunities. It will become increasingly important to show potential employees the diverse careers that exist within the industry.
- Demographics – Changing demographics result in changing consumer tastes and buying patterns and stores need to respond to these new patterns. As well, there are changing demographics in the workforce. Young people, a group the industry has traditionally relied upon, are now attracted to other sectors and are becoming more scarce. This represents an opportunity to encourage other groups such as Aboriginals, new immigrants and older workers to seek employment in the sector.
- Skills – As the industry changes, positions requiring new skills and training are opening up (e.g. shipping and logistics technology, home meal replacements, pharmacies, floral sales etc).
- Training Delivery Systems – There is a need to develop more accessible, “just in time” approaches which can include distance education programs or formal college accreditations, with a focus on enhancing training and development opportunities for front line and supervising staff in the industry.
5. How does the industry benefit from the work of the Council?
- Access to accurate labour market information, allowing organizations to plan ahead
- Play a vital role in shaping the future of employment in the food industry
- Influence what type of research, resources and tools are developed
- Develop industry relationships nationally
- Increased exposure of the sector to the general public
- Develop a competitive edge in the knowledge-based economy
- There are economies to be achieved in working together on common issues facing the industry
- The opportunity for an organization’s ‘voice’ to be heard
- Those involved are perceived as leaders within the sector, associated with a good cause.
6. What materials are available to assist me with my HR needs?
The CGHRC supplies a range of business “how to” products and resources designed to assist industry stakeholders in attracting, recruiting, training and retaining employees. You’ll find an extensive selection of online and paper based training and development resources available in English and French by clicking here.
7. How does the CGHRC keep abreast of the latest labour market trends?
The CGHRC undertakes ongoing labour market research to identify the latest HR trends and challenges in the food retail/wholesale sector. It publishes Labour Market Information (LMI) reports that contain data on employment trends, human resource needs, future challenges and emerging opportunities associated with the food retail/wholesale profession in Canada.
8. Who sits on the CFIC’s Board of Directors?
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