OTTAWA—The Canadian Printing Industries Sector Council has expanded the list of companies and employees who are considered part of the printing industry to include converted paper-product manufacturers, business support service providers, newspaper, periodical and book printers, suppliers of packaging and labelling services — and graphic design companies.

A new CPISC HR report, titled "An Industry Redefined," recognizes 25,981 companies and 240,017 employees as part of the sector ­– about three times bigger than the last report.

“Our research shows the traditional definition of the printing industry is narrow and fails to capture the number of companies that produce printed products or those that specialize in prepress or finishing and bindery services,” said CPISC co-chair Duncan Brown, in a release. 

In short, CPISC believes all the companies it includes in its definition of the printing sector face similar human resources issues.

“The key issues are the recruitment and retention of employees, succession planning, managing the impact of technology and striving to become high-performance workplaces,” stated CPISC co-chair Jeff Ekstein.

The CPISC has published four papers on these HR issues "that include straightforward advice, examples of best practice and tips and links for dealing with the key issues."

• High Performance Workplaces - Increasing innovation and productivity in the workplace
• Talent Pipeline - Developing employee capabilities to meet future goals
• Filling the Gap - Recruitment and retention strategies
• Ready for Change - Human resource implications of technological change.

Contact: http://cpisc-csic.com/eng/hrstudy.html