Press Release - 2025 Wawa Business Survey Results Released

PRESS RELEASE: March 20, 2025

The Municipality of Wawa recently conducted a 2025 Business Survey between January 13 and 31, 2025 to assess the current economic landscape and identify key challenges affecting local businesses. The survey, completed by 20 businesses across multiple sectors, highlighted workforce availability and housing accessibility as primary concerns for business growth and stability.

Key Findings:

Business Stability & Growth: 65% of surveyed businesses have been operating in Wawa for over 15 years, demonstrating strong local economic resilience. Additionally, 47% of businesses plan to hire more employees in 2025, with none reporting intentions to reduce their workforce.

Labour Market Challenges: A significant challenge that local businesses face is the availability of skilled workers. 76% of businesses reported difficulties hiring employees in 2024, with 65% citing a lack of skilled candidates and 47% indicating a lack of interest among job seekers.

Housing and Workforce Impact: While housing availability and affordability are impacting businesses, the effects are not as severe as initially expected. 35% of businesses cited housing availability as a hiring challenge, and 41% reported difficulties recruiting due to housing issues. At least 50% of businesses are already assisting employees in finding suitable housing.

Immigration and Workforce Retention: Despite hiring difficulties, 65% of businesses had never employed a non-permanent resident, with 46% unfamiliar with immigration hiring processes. Of those that were aware of immigration processes, 65% had hired a non-permanent resident. Enhanced education on immigration programs could help address workforce shortages. Additionally, temporary foreign workers in Wawa have expressed feeling under-supported by government-funded settlement programs, which impacts workforce retention.

Recommendations & Next Steps:

Based on these findings, the Municipality of Wawa is exploring initiatives to improve workforce recruitment and retention, including:

1)     Promoting immigration hiring process education for local businesses.

2)     Supporting settlement services to assist new workers and their families.

3)     Continuing to prioritize housing development to accommodate a growing labour force.

A Settlement Services information session was held on March 18, 2025 and the Municipality of Wawa will participate in the developing Steering Committee for Immigration in the Superior East Region.

The Municipality thanks all business participants for their valuable input. The survey results will guide future initiatives aimed at fostering a sustainable and prosperous business environment.

For more information on the 2025 Business Survey, please contact Kristy Hansen, Economic Development Officer, at 705-856-2244 ext. 222 or edo@wawa.cc.