Whitehorse business owners will have to look at their salary and benefits packages if they want to find much-needed employees and compete with Alberta for labour.

That's the message delegates at the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce's annual general meeting heard Tuesday.

In a panel discussion at the Yukon Inn event, the Hougen Group's Wendy Tayler, the Yukon Chamber of Mines' Scott Casselman and Northern Vision Development Corp.'s Trevor Harding said the city's business community will likely have to get creative with training programs. They will also have to look to their pockets to attract new workers to their businesses, delegates were told.

'I'm sure everyone this week has had a conversation about the staffing issue,' Tayler said in kicking off the labour discussion.

'It's actually an issue from coast, to coast, to coast.'

As the Alberta oil sands continue to suck up the nation's traditional labour sources, such as workers from Atlantic Canada, she said, the Yukon is going to have to start looking elsewhere to fill its labour needs.

'Alberta will get them first,' she said. 'It's almost comical right now.'

She said she felt the business owners should start looking at in-house programs to start upgrading the skills of their existing employees to look out for the future labour needs.

She also said in her own experience with one of the businesses she's involved with Whitehorse Motors she has found it very difficult to attract labour.

She said in trying to find an automotive technician for the business, she has taken out an ad in almost every major paper across the country but has had disappointing results.

'We haven't received one resume,' Tayler said.

She said she is now going to look overseas to fill the position.

Harding, who was a Yukon NDP cabinet minister in the 1990s, agreed with Taylor, calling the labour market challenging for small and large businesses alike.

'We compete for labour here, it's a really active market,' said the former MLA for Faro and current resident of Calgary, Alta.

'If it's a problem here, it's out of control in Alberta.'

Harding said he believes the federal government should initiate training programs to help fill the gap while business owners would likely have to look to their pocketbooks.

'People are going to have to look at how their salary and benefits packages compete with areas they're competing with,' he said.

Casselman said his sector is also feeling the labour crunch. He agreed with Harding that wages and benefits will have to be re-examined if the territory is to attract new workers.

'It's a very tough market out there ... Alberta is sucking everybody up as they come across the country,' he said.

'Employers have to look at an increase in the salary and wage packages.'

Casselman said the mining sector is 'stretched' trying to accommodate all the exploration activity going on in the territory, with some businesses unable to accept contracts because they just don't have the personnel to do the work.

'It's a stretch to accommodate these companies; we're just stretched,' he said.

Many people trying to book helicopters are finding it difficult, Casselman added, and territorial drill contractors are also having issues.

'They've (drilling companies) got the equipment; they just don't have the people to run them.'

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell, who mediated the panel discussion, said he is also aware that the labour issue is a national problem. He suggested some businesses started looking closer to home for staff.

He urged businesses to start looking at young aboriginal Canadians as a potential solution to the labour crisis, as they are often the most affected by unemployment.

'They need to have the skills,' he said, adding that employers should consider new workers as an investment and may want to take the time to train them.

According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, nearly 80 per cent of Yukon businesses the highest per capita rate in the nation have concerns over the availability of labour.