HGS call centre employees getting help from Skills PEI

P.E.I. government officials say they will provide support to employees of HGS in Montague who found out yesterday the call centre will close in March.

About 65 employees received notice Tuesday that the call centre is closing on March 4. The company said the limited labour market size has not allowed it to produce the scale that the business requires to be sustainable.

• HGS call centre in Montague shuts down, 65 employees given notice

Skills PEI executive director Richard Gallant called the closure unfortunate, but said his office will work with the affected employees.

"One of our goals is to see the workers reattached to the workforce as quickly as possible following layoff with other companies or supported for retraining and then employment," he said.

"We are making plans to meet with the affected workers in the near future that will be in conjunction with Service Canada and Career Development Services and to provide workers with ... information on programs and services available in the province."

The workers will be given information on everything from job-search tips and retraining options to how to set up a business for themselves, said Gallant.

There is a Skills PEI office in Montague near the HGS centre, and its priority is to work with the employees, he said.

Workers are just coming to terms with the news of the layoffs, Gallant said, adding he expects information sessions will take place in the next couple of days.

HGC Canada also said it will make every effort to find each individual comparable employment at another HGS Canada location or within the community.