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BC’s tourism industry poised for job growth with more than 100,000 new job openings Shortages predicted in food & beverage, transportation, accommodation services Regional studies of labour demand and supply by go2hr, BC tourism industry’s human resource association, indicate that more than 100,000 job openings are expected by 2020, but all of British Columbia’s six tourism regions could face labour shortages as early as 2014. “Each region faces specific pressures within our industry,” says Arlene Keis, CEO of go2hr. “Sectors ranging from food & beverage and accommodation to transportation and outdoor recreation will be affected by a combination of tourism growth, retirements, and increasing competition for workers.” More than 14,000 shortages will exist across the industry, with the highest volume existing in food & beverage, accommodation and recreation & entertainment. The transportation sector will be particularly vulnerable in relative terms as the shortages represent a higher portion of overall labour supply in that sector. For each region, areas of particular concern vary, and are highlighted in the findings from the regional studies. For example, in the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains region, the resort municipality of Whistler is already experiencing challenges in the recruitment and retention of skilled workers, particularly in the culinary trades and with supervisory or management roles. In Northern British Columbia, the expanding mining and oil and gas sectors are enticing young workers to take positions, creating an added strain on the tourism providers in the region. Regions like Vancouver Island and the Kootenay Rockies have tourism industry employees who are older than the provincial average, creating a need for more replacement jobs. The Thompson Okanagan region has one of the most severe levels of seasonality in the province, which prevents many tourism employers from being able to retain workers on a permanent basis. And, the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, known for its numerous niche tourism experiences, is susceptible to recruitment challenges as a result of its rural environment and lack of a major population centre. Tourism businesses and destination management and marketing organizations are being encouraged to make labour recruitment, retention and training a priority. Last fall, go2hr launched the BC Tourism Labour Market Strategy (TLMS) to help address critical labour needs across the province’s six tourism regions. The five industry groups that were selected for study within the tourism sector include: transportation, accommodation, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment services, and travel services. Further research was undertaken this year to better understand each region’s unique needs. Through the TLMS, go2hr is working with industry, government and other stakeholders to take strong, proactive steps to leverage tourism’s increasing economic importance and address impending labour shortages. The strategy identifies opportunities to:
“Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has always been committed to the ongoing recruitment, training and retention of employees,” says Phil Barnes, regional vice president, Pacific Northwest & general manager, Fairmont Pacific Rim. “We invest in them with a variety of human resources programs such as Service Plus, culinary apprenticeship, and leadership development. Well trained and engaged colleagues are key to the success of an operation and although visits are up and the summer has been good, we need to put as much effort into attracting top talent to BC as we do to market to new visitors.” To help the tourism industry align workforce, training and education strategies, go2hr is presenting at industry gatherings, hosting meetings and workshops and providing up to date information to destination management organizations to pass onto their members and stakeholders. go2hr also offers a comprehensive website that includes a free tourism niche job board and multiple informational resources. This research was funded in part through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement. The regional labour studies are available for download at www.go2hr.ca/regions. |
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Media Contact: go2hr is BC’s tourism and hospitality human resource association responsible for coordinating the BC Tourism Labour Market Strategy, a key component of the industry’s growth strategy. Tourism is one of the largest resource industries in BC comprising 18,000 mostly small to medium-sized businesses, which provides sector employment of nearly 260,000. For more information, visit www.go2hr.ca. |
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