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THURSDAY JANUARY 13, 2022 www.carstaroakville.com 916 Winston Churchill Blvd. 905-845-7579 2212 Wyecroft Rd. 905-847-2595 19951995 - 20212021 ent, ything ou need One Desjardins Agent,Agent, everythingeverythingeverything you needneed Everything Real Estate CRIME TRAFFIC WEATHERWEATHERWEATHERWEATHERWEATHERWEATHERWEATHERWEATHERWEATHERWEATHER CRIMECRIMECRIMECRIMECRIMECRIMECRIME REA D T H E N E W S A S IT H A P P E N S A T IN S ID E H A LT O N .C O M The following is part one of a three-part series examining the state of Halton's job market. See part two focusing on job hunters next week. In the last two years, the econo- my has been anything but busi- ness as usual. The unprecedented disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic impact- ed both individual job seekers and major corporations alike, and the full effect likely won't be under- stood for years to come. Not sur- prisingly, Oakville and the region at large have been dramatically af- fected. Worldwide disruptions to the supply chain, an apparent local la- bour shortage, a population spending more time in their own homes and unpredictable govern- ment restrictions have led to an economic picture in the region that is uneven and unexpected. "Some businesses are having their best years ever -- landscape companies, home improvement companies, construction compa- nies, pool companies are doing phenomenally well. Then other businesses in the hospitality in- dustry, restaurants, hotels are just getting decimated. A number of them are closing their doors and other ones are just barely holding on," said Terry Caddo, president of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce. "Re- opened doesn't mean recovered." The pandemic's effect on a See EMPLOYMENT, page 11 HALTON JOB MARKET FACING UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, CHALLENGES ROLAND CILLIERS rcilliers@metroland.com INTERNATIONAL, LOCAL AND BEHAVIOURAL TRENDS HAVE MADE FOR UNUSUAL STATE OF AFFAIRS FAMILY FUN Joe Song enjoys an afternoon of skating with son Brayden Friday (Jan. 7) under sunny skies and frigid temperatures at the Trafalgar Park outdoor rink. Graham Paine/Metroland