When COVID-19 first appeared in our region, companies, employees and job seekers alike were all navigating unfamiliar territory as they had no choice but to adapt to new realities. Many of those realties related to the workplace, employment security, job hunting and the uncertainty that was sure to follow.

To address the uncertainty, several Atlantic Canadian organizations formed a partnership with the goal of helping employers and employees adapt to this new pandemic world.

“Change is inevitable but it’s kind of uncomfortable,” said Michael Sandalis, Living Lab lead at Atlantic Lottery, one of the project sponsors. “At the same time, there are people out there who think it is full of endless possibilities.”

Some of these people came from groups like Halifax Partnership, Halifax Innovation District, Volta, Too Igloos, EnPoint and Atlantic Lottery. These are the organizations that spearheaded and sponsored this project and they all have one important thing in common: their passion to help build a stronger Atlantic Canada.

“There is a common desire to want to do something and inject some hope back into our community and back into our region at times like these,” said Chantal Brine, CEO of EnPoint. “This project is a beautiful example of what can happen when people come together and try to figure out solutions to a problem that is bigger than any one organization can solve.”

To help execute their vision, the partnering organizations recruited a group of young professionals to complete the project research. They conducted a series of interviews with employers from a wide range of industries to get a comprehensive outlook on employment in 2020 and discussed their own hopes, challenges, outlooks and more. The data and insights collected was then used to form two sets of resources – one for employers and one for employees.

“The insights from this study are from both the employer and employee perspectives and come from a truly engaging and diverse group,” Sandalis said. “The best part is that these insights are wide-ranging and encompass everything from networking, remote work, skill development, training, onboarding and more.”

To learn more about the project and its findings, visit Rethinking Employment: Creating a Successful Path for Young Professionals in a Pandemic World.