Supporting the Non-Profit & Caring Sectors

Healthcare. Education. Child Care. Community Services. Arts & Culture. Sports. Non-Profit Organizations.

These sectors support the basic needs of our larger workforce and remain under incredible strain. The work can be precarious with high staff turnover, contract-based work, low wages, or part-time hours. Frontline workers frequently undertake heavy workloads and face the frustration of people whose needs are not met. Communities are relying on this workforce to provide essential services amidst rapid population growth, wage and housing disparity, and an increase in addiction and mental health challenges. Together, how can we support the workforce that supports all of us?

For this 2025-2026 project, our goal is to gather insight from workers on staff retention, attraction, and development via:

Online Caring Workforce Survey (closes Nov 30, 2025)
In-person event for frontline workers, with facilitated discussion: Building Strong Foundations of Care (Dec 9, 2025)

By March 2026, we will:

develop and share a report with our findings, discussions, and suggested next steps.
explore the feasibility of a community partner group – to discuss challenges and potential activities the broader sector can undertake to strengthen itself.

To connect on this project, please contact Sonya at 519-622-7122 ext. 102

Last Year

In the Fall of 2024, we hosted two strategy sessions for people who hire or manage staff in the non-profit and Caring occupation sectors.

View our summary report:
“What Next?”: Staff Retention, Attraction, and Growth in the Caring and Non-Profit Workforce (Manager & HR Perspective)

In March 2025, we released workforce reports on local composition, engagement, and demand in:

Sign Up for Next Steps

Add your name to our Supporting the Caring Sectors email list for related updates on:

reports
events
other opportunities that support these sectors

This Employment Ontario project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.