Working in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell

The town of Hawkesbury is located in Eastern Ontario, in the Glengarry-Prescott-Russell area. It’s a great place to work, build a career or even start a business. There are plenty of jobs in every field! Besides, the worldwide labour shortage has given rise to new opportunities. So writing this post about work in the area seemed like a good idea.

Our area in numbers

For context, here are some interesting bits of information from the most recent Statistics Canada census. If you’re more the visual type, you can look at the data on our handy infographic.

In 2021, the district of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell had 16,463 residents: up 6% from 2016. Of that population, 58% are employed and are earning an average salary of $50,480 per year. Beyond those numbers, it’s also impressive that 16% of those workers have a yearly income higher than $100,000.

There are 4.7 million people who live within a 100-kilometre radius of Hawkesbury. The Québec market is just a bridge and less than 5 km away. Canada’s capital, Ottawa, and Montréal are both less than an hour’s drive away. This proximity makes for good access to a bilingual, highly skilled and mobile workforce that is available to fulfil any business needs.

Our employment centre

The Employment Services Centre of Prescott-Russell (CSEPR) has three service points. One is located on Main Street East in Hawkesbury. It offers a full range of free programs and services to help employers with their hiring process and to help job seekers find the perfect fit.

The CSEPR is a member of the Employment Ontario network. It supports employers by organizing recruitment days, awarding grants and employment incentives, posting and promoting positions, hiring internationally and awarding grants to employees for training.

If you’re a job seeker, the Centre’s team will offer support by directing you toward programs, training or services that meet your needs. They will also assess your transferable skills, help you write your resumé and prepare for your interview.

The CSEPR also hosts an annual job fair in the spring, matching many employers and job seekers. Whether you’re looking for work or workers, you can always contact them for support or recommendations tailored to your needs.

Our businesses

Our area is home to an incredible number of established businesses, most of them small. However, we also have our share of businesses that employ over 100 people, and they’re always looking for workers. Most businesses are hiring for in-person work, but over the last few years many have started offering options for hybrid or fully remote models. Overall, the most sought-after skills in our area are in education, health care, food and industrial manufacturing.

Here are just a few examples of the largest employers in the region:

• Our two French-language school boards: the Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien and the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario. They both offer jobs in teaching, early childhood education, speech therapy, administration, computer science, accounting, communications, maintenance and much more. There are also English-language institutions in the area.
• Between the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital, the various seniors’ residences and Valoris, there is an abundance of health care and social science work in our area!
• Does Calypso Waterpark sound familiar? It’s the largest waterpark in Canada! It’s a bit further but it’s a great place for a summer job, especially if you’re a student or looking for part-time work.
• The United Counties of Prescott and Russell and other municipalities in the area always have open positions. It just takes a quick look at their websites to find which positions are currently available.
• Ivaco Rolling Mills is a foundry that employs much of the area’s manual labour. If you’re looking for production work, or if you’re certified in electricity, welding, mechanics or other trades, it might be a great place for you.
• Potvin Construction is another sizeable employer in the area. Aside from them, we have a number of small and medium-sized enterprises in construction, excavation, landscaping, and more. If construction is your field, it’s worth looking into it!

As we’ve mentioned before, these are only a few of the employers in the Hawkesbury area. We also have various restaurants, shops, specialized services and organizations in practically every field imaginable. If you do a bit of research in a field you’re passionate about, we bet you’ll find what you’re looking for! And if you don’t, why not start your own business? The town of Hawkesbury puts a great deal of effort into promoting economic growth and offers support services such as the Prescott and Russel Entrepreneurship Centre. To learn more about employment opportunities in the area, check out the Work page on our website, and the Répertoire des ressources et services de Hawkesbury [Hawkesbury resource and service directory] (French only)