data shows that while job vacancies in the accommodation and food services sectors have slightly declined since last quarter, they’re still up 62,600 Canada-wide over the first quarter of 2020.
But Hospitality Saskatchewan president and CEO Jim Bence said that from what he’s hearing, many business owners can’t say the same.“He managed to keep all his outlets open throughout the pandemic but now finds himself in a position where he’s going to have to contract,” he said.“He’s looking at reducing hours in his restaurants, not being able to sell as many rooms because he doesn’t have the staff to clean them. This is the kind of story we’re hearing over and over. It’s really bad out there.
Mackay said he thinks the same, adding he thinks many who were laid off may have been deterred from seeking other hospitality roles because they could potentially earn as much as they had been through pandemic relief measures.Statistics Canada data on reservation wages shows that on average, Canada-wide, the lowest hourly wage at which someone was willing to take a position in the sector was 15.8 per cent higher than the average hourly offered wage.
“How much will the consumer bear, with regards to the inflation, and will you even have enough workers to serve the food?”As far as solutions go, Bence said he’s having conversations with the federal government about attracting more workers to the sector from overseas, but adds that employers will have to “leave no stone unturned” as they seek to fill roles.Labour demand in the sector, meanwhile, is still down compared with pre-pandemic levels by 10.8 per cent.