As the calendar turns to a new year, the doors of opportunity swing wide open, especially within the Canadian sport sector. Teams are actively seeking the right individuals to fuel their ambitious objectives, aiming to build momentum in the months ahead. The upcoming year is poised to be action-packed, with ongoing initiatives and the upcoming Games creating a pivotal moment for the Canadian sport sector. 

However, amidst this landscape, the sector grapples with a pressing need for skilled individuals, underscored by a surge of nearly 700,000 job vacancies reported in Canada as of September 2023. 

January marks a significant surge in hiring, with a specific emphasis on summer internships as a primary avenue for talent infusion. Students, eager to apply their burgeoning knowledge, are drawn to the SIRC’s job board as an ideal platform. Capacity building, crucial for thriving in a rapidly changing environment, becomes synonymous with the pursuit of top talent possessing the requisite skill set. 

So, how can the Canadian sport sector recruit top talent for the year ahead? 

Welcome Gen Z through internships and new graduate opportunities 

Gen Z, the latest generation to join the workforce,  are known as ‘digital natives’ and will reportedly  make up 27% of the global workforce by 2025. With summer internship season upon us, it’s a great time to think about how organizations can welcome this new generation to the workforce. Internships are a great way for students to put their knowledge into practice and for organizations to welcome new ideas to the table. 

With some forward thinking and strategies, an organization can generate a talent pipeline by creating internships where responsibilities can grow into a long-term opportunity upon graduation. This can be a compelling offer for the newest generation in the workforce, as reports show young people are more concerned than other age groups about employment stability.  

Nearly 80% of employers have reported that internships are a valuable recruitment technique, and evidence shows that retention rates are nearly 25% higher for those who found new talent through internship opportunities.  

Get the word out about your latest opportunities 

As organizations look to welcome these ’digital natives’ to the workplace, they must first consider how to reach top candidates through digital recruitment strategies. To find the best candidates in the current market where it is reported that job vacancies outnumber candidates nearly 2-to-1, jobs postings need to reach far and wide.  

In 2023, SIRC’s job board was viewed more than 455,000 times and jobs posted reached an average of 266 potential candidates. In 2001, SIRC created the job board to capture the unique job market of the Canadian sport and recreation and it was the first of its kind. Now, jobseekers can find staff, coaching, event based, board, and volunteer roles within sport all in one place.  

“As a new graduate who wanted to work in the national sport space, I knew the best way to look for job opportunities was through SIRC. SIRC is a one-stop shop that shows all current opportunities in sport all the way from the grassroots community space to the national sport space. A career page posting led me to finding my current role with Athletics,” shared Gabby Faoro, the National Teams Coordinator for Athletics Canada. 

In addition to placing new opportunities on the right job boards, digital recruitment strategies should be complemented using social media to get the word out about your latest opportunities. Social media can be a powerful recruitment tool to create higher visibility with greater efficiencies, enable brand awareness for candidates, and target jobs ads to reach the right candidates. 

Finding top talent to support the Canadian sport sector in 2024 will require organizations to develop digital recruitment strategies that speak to “digital natives” entering the workforce. With its undeniable reach, SIRC is proud to collaborate with employers in the Canadian sport sector to ensure the job board is part of their digital recruitment strategy. 

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About the Author(s)

Taylor Matthews is the Marketing and Communications Specialist at SIRC. In this role, she brings her expertise in knowledge mobilization through digital marketing and social media management to share the latest sport research, knowledge, and top stories to our audience. 

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The information presented in SIRC blogs and SIRCuit articles is accurate and reliable as of the date of publication. Developments that occur after the date of publication may impact the current accuracy of the information presented in a previously published blog or article.