400 new workers sought as Pearson Airport in Mississauga hosts massive job fair

By

Published January 31, 2023 at 11:13 am

Pearson Airport in Mississauga

Pearson Airport in Mississauga is putting out the call for some 400 new workers as it beefs up its ranks to better handle the tens of thousands of travellers who use Canada’s largest airport every day.

A huge job fair running today (Jan. 31) until 1 p.m. at the  Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Terminal 3 (6320 Silver Dart Dr.) features 32 employers looking to fill various positions from ground handlers to airport security and many other jobs in between.

Officials with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which runs Pearson, describe the event as an “airport-wide, multi-employer job fair” being hosted as air travel continues to ramp up following COVID-19 restrictions and shutdowns.

The aggressive recruitment drive comes as “Canada’s aviation industry is still gearing up from its pandemic shutdown,” they add.

Participating employers include WestJet, Menzies, Swissport, HMS Host and the GTAA, among others.

Pearson officials note that the country’s busiest airport “is home to a diverse workforce akin to a small city” and that prior to the pandemic, the GTAA employed just 1,500 of the 50,000 people who work at Pearson.

“Rebuilding that capacity means connecting job seekers with airport partner companies, agencies and tenants who offer a wide variety of employment and growth opportunities such as customer service, security, baggage handlers, food and beverage workers, supervisors, managers and more,” a GTAA spokesperson said in a news release issued this morning (Jan. 31).

Speaking just as the huge job fair kicked off today, Karen Mazurkewich, GTAA vice-president of stakeholder relations and communications, said the hiring event is one of many initiatives planned as Pearson tries to be more proactive in building a world-class, airport-wide workforce.

“We are collaborating with our employers, not only to make our vision come to fruition, but also to be able to work collectively across the airport in an innovative way to build a common vision for our workforce,” she said.

Monte McNaughton, Ontario minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development, pointed out that the province is facing the largest labour shortage in a generation.

He added that the provincial government is taking action to help people get skills they need to succeed.

“To date, our Skills Development Fund has invested over $620 million to help nearly 400,000 people across our province take the next step in their careers and earn bigger pay cheques for themselves and their families,” McNaughton said in a news release, adding Ontario’s investment in training at Pearson Airport “continues our mission to lift people up. To build a stronger Ontario, we need all hands on deck.”

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising