There are encouraging results for Sarnia Lambton's economy in a new EmployerOne Survey.
75 per cent of 132 responding businesses say they hired at least one person in 2015 for a total of 1,043 people.
Sarnia Lambton Workforce Development Board Executive Director Shauna Carr says there continues to be strong demand for tradespeople this year.
"Journeypersons are topping the list. Those are the top projected hires this year," Carr says. "Then our service workers, which isn't unusual as that was the trend in 2015."
Carr says unlike other locations in the province, there is a well-trained trades sector locally, making it attractive for new industrial and bio-industrial start-ups.
Businesses surveyed anticipate hiring nearly 1,000 people in 2016 including 425 in trades, 156 service workers and 102 in the administrative and clerical field.
