The President of NAPE says compensation is a big reason why the provincial government is encountering difficulties hiring snowplow operators.

Government recruitment for the eastern portion of the province fell flat, with only one candidate picked for hire from among 14 applications.

Jerry Earle says the heavy equipment workforce has become highly competitive in recent years, and he’s not surprised to hear about recruitment challenges.

Earle’s looking to meet with the minister to try to address some of those issues.

“The retention and especially the recruitment side is extremely challenging in Newfoundland and Labrador. These are professionals that are in demand, whether it be the heavy equipment operators, the heavy equipment technicians”

“I think the minister is admitting that he’s not overly surprised, it’s a challenging process.”