There was a very interesting article in the Record on Monday Dec. 12th, 2011 by Terry Pender.  The rumours around town that there are over 1000 tech jobs that need to be filled was verified by this article and many of the people interviewed in the article.   The local area unemployment figures of 6.8% are much lower than the national and provincial averages.  In the article, lain Klugman the head of Communitech said,” There are more than 1000 vacant high tech jobs in this region’s high-tech sector, highlighting the need to attract and retain creative-class workers.”  He goes on further to say, “Everyone is hiring”.  Communitech has done a study on attracting and retaining talent that is expected to be finished in the coming weeks.  In my opinion, this is a good thing because as a Realtor I can see that Waterloo Region is in transition from a manufacturing based economy to an information based economy.  In the years to come this area is going to need to attract creative minds and retain them because other Intelligent communities around the world are also competing for these types of workers.  Several reviews of this article were very harsh, but in my view unrealistic.  Waterloo Region has come along way over the past 10 years and has grown and is doing its best at all levels of government to adjust to the growth the best way it can.  No place is perfect and I don’t think there is a Utopia but I like living in Waterloo Region because it is affordable, there are lots of opportunites to advance yourself, there are lots of things to do here in your spare time.  Moreover, the community has a strong sense of Entrepreneurism, Leadership and generosity.  This article is very good for people who are looking for a job in Kitchener-Waterloo.  Christie Digital is trying to hire 20 more people in Kitchener-Waterloo.  Techies like the LRT and there are more housing options in Uptown Waterloo and Downtown Kitchener than before.  There are several condominium and lofts in KW that are being built to house these new workers like at the Arrow Lofts, Bauer Lofts, Seagrams Lofts, The 42, Park 144, Red Condominiums, Silver Thread Condominiums, the Belmont  Village Condominiums.

Here is the full story:

http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/637696–everyone-hiring-in-waterloo-region-s-fast-expanding-tech-sector