The growth is being threatened

Photo Stevens LeBlanc
It happens that the director of the institution C3 Hotel of the Grande Allée West Quebec, Isabelle Ouellet, need to make the plunge into the kitchens when the server is overwhelmed.

Diane Tremblay

Saturday, February 3, 2018 00:00

UPDATE
Saturday, February 3, 2018 00:00

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The shortage of labour that prevails in the tourism industry has the potential to limit the full expansion of this sector. According to experts, no less than 538 000 new jobs will need to be filled by 2035 across the country.

With more than 750 000 visitors per year, the Granby Zoo is in need of 750 workers to operate. If they can rely on a database of 150 regular employees, the fact remains that the company relies heavily on a workforce student.

“We have the chance of attracting the candidates because we offer a work environment that is fun,” says Laurent Guilbault, director of human resources.

However, the posts restoration offered on the site are most difficult to fill, ” he observes.

Even the sound of a bell at the Village Québécois d’antan in Drummondville. The director of human resources, Danielle Chayer, recognizes that the positions of cooks, assistant cooks, waiters and butlers are a “headache” to be filled.

Double challenge

The Village Québécois d’antan, which employs 150 people during the summer, faces a double challenge : that of finding candidates who can make animation and embody to the times of the folk characters.

“It represents a village. Therefore, we need grandparents, parents and young people. The grand-parents, it will never be a difficulty in recruiting, because the population is aging. However, what is more problematic are the 25 to 45 years. “

“As these are seasonal jobs and that it is in the Centre-du-Québec, someone will move not to Drummondville for a summer. This adds to the difficulties we face. Until now, it has fared rather well, but it will become a problem in the short and medium terms, ” adds Ms. Chayer.

Isabelle Ouellet, a director at the C3 Hotel in Quebec, ensures that employers must exercise a high degree of flexibility hope to keep their employees leave to bring the hand to the dough to the occasion.

“If there is a glitch at the last minute, it was me that called at 5 o’clock in the morning ! It is often me who will take the calls which overflow to receiving or who will go and do the washing in the kitchen because the server is overwhelmed, ” Mrs. Ouellet.

Before the hotel sub-contracts the maintenance of the rooms, it was not uncommon for her to take the feather duster.

“The key word is creativity. Our company has experienced great growth in the last year. By the same token, we have created jobs. We went from 500 to 900 employees during the peak period, which is substantial, ” said Sylvain Lauzon, executive vice-president and chief executive officer of the group, which includes the Village Vacances Valcartier.

A shuttle bus for employees

Given that the site is located some thirty kilometres from the centre of Quebec city, the company has put in place its own system of shuttle buses to provide transportation to its employees. Thanks to this service, the company has hired 15 people from the first week.

According to the organization’s HR Tourism Canada, the potential growth of tourism is so huge that the available workforce may not be sufficient to meet the demand. Pay increases could reduce the gap between the supply of and demand for labour, but they would restrict the growth of the sector because of rising costs and prices that would follow, added.

Tourism is experiencing the fastest growth around the world

• 674 million tourist arrivals in 2000 in Canada
• 1.4 billion arrivals expected by 2020
• 32 % of the workforce in tourism is aged 15 to 24 years
• From 2015 to 2021, the number of older individuals in this branch will decrease from 249 000

Source : HR Tourism Canada

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