Nunavik regional government tries to speed up human resources unit

The Kativik Regional Government’s head office in Kuujjuaq where the majority of the regional government’s 340 employees work. (FILE PHOTO)

Here’s a goal: the Kativik Regional Government’s human resources department wants to reduce the time it takes to fill jobs from the current 62 days.

According to information tabled at the recent KRG council meeting in Kuujjuaq, the KRG’s human resources office processes more than 90 postings every year — at the same time faces an annual employee turnover rate of more than 30 per cent.

Since the beginning of May 2013, 42 regional government jobs were posted, compared to 52 in the previous period between February and April 2013 — 17 of which were management positions.

Those numbers do not include Kativik Regional Police Force and janitorial positions.

The time it takes to fill a position can range from several weeks to several months.

That’s often influenced by the qualifications need for the position, KRG director general Isabelle Parizeau told councillors at their September meeting.

The human resources office is currently reviewing its methods and recruitment tools to better target its audience, she said, “and find the right person, as soon as possible.”

Statistics tabled at the council meeting show the KRG has managed to fill 50 positions since May.

That’s although it lost its director in April of this year when Simon Lapointe was arrested on sex-related charges in Montreal with a court appearance then scheduled for August in Quebec City.

Statistics for August 2013, which were tabled at the KRG meeting, show that Inuit make up 63 per cent of the KRG’s total workforce and 28 per cent of its management positions.