Attracting and Retaining Professionals in Labrador

Labrador has a unique and distinct history and geography, with the potential for dynamic growth and development. Its vastness, beauty, and remoteness offer both opportunities and challenges for the region. This remoteness, coupled with a high percentage of self-identified Aboriginal residents (see LabradorGrenfell Health Authority, 2013), outmigration, relatively low birth rates, high percentage of youth, and a rapidly aging population, adds both dynamism and challenges for the region as Labradorians work to consider the economic and social future needs of their region, particularly in terms of attracting and retaining professionals.

The objective of this project is to explore policy approaches which would contribute to a strategy for Labrador which would in turn help address professional staff attraction and retention needs in the light of anticipated changing demographics. The study was carried out through a community consultation process.

The findings and recommendations in this report support existing related studies conducted between 2002 and 2016. Three related studies in combination identified many of the issues and concerns described here and reached similar conclusions in making their recommendations. What seems clear from this study of professional attraction and retention in Labrador is that not much has changed over the last 16 years. What appear to be constant, however, are key recurring themes: professionals’ acute dissatisfaction in several areas with respect to their professional and personal lives in Labrador; the need to orient inmigrating professionals to their newly adopted region, community, and workplace; and the challenge of engaging stakeholders in a long-term commitment to informed, consistent strategies. At the end of each section, specific recommendations are made; those recommendations are grouped into larger themes and presented as: professional dissatisfaction, orientation and strategic priorities.