'Serious labour shortage' holding Alberta's tourism sector back: industry advocates
Alberta's tourism sector has a "serious labour shortage" that can threaten its long-term viability, a new labour study has found.
The Tourism Industry Association of Alberta (TIAA) says most businesses are reporting significant difficulty in finding personnel to fill vacant positions just months away from the start of Alberta's peak tourism season.
According to the industry survey, recruitment, retention and "competition" from other sectors are further compounding labour issues and the inflation crunch.
"COVID-19 caused significant disruption to our tourism labour market," said Darren Reeder, TIAA president.
"Today, the sector continues to have much fewer workers than pre-pandemic times," he said. "As a result, as pent-up travel demand rebounds, tourism businesses will not be able to likely meet the demand with their existing labour force."
Carried out from November 2022 to March 2023, Tourism HR Canada worked with the TIAA to survey and consult businesses and Albertans while monitoring Statistics Canada data on job vacancies, number of travellers and employment figures.
The study aimed to find factors hindering growth of tourism in Alberta and recovery from the pandemic. It was presented Wednesday to industry leaders.
Ultimately, the report made 30 recommendations involving the provincial and federal levels of government, including:
- immigration streams and policies need to be more accessible for small and medium companies involved in tourism;
- reframing narratives of tourism employment to increase its attractiveness and competitiveness; and
- reducing barriers to careers in tourism, like lack of housing or transportation options.
For Reeder, labour shortages in the sector are nothing new, they were made "significantly worse" by the pandemic.
"We've not professionalized careers in tourism," he added. "You ask people about tourism, many people would describe it as something they do in between their career pursuit or what I am doing with my education.
"This is very unlike what we see in Europe, where there are lifelong careers and professionalization [opportunities]."
He hopes the province works with post-secondary institutions to create more micro-credentials and streams to allow tourism workers to specialize and recognize their achievements.
Mark von Schellwitz, Restaurants Canada spokesperson, said 18,000 workers are needed in just the restaurant side of the sector in Alberta.
One of the most common concerns he hears from eateries and pubs is they lack staff in general, let alone seasonal workers. From a small to medium size business perspective, using immigration programs to attract foreign workers or temporary hires is out of reach.
"The big chains, they have that HR capability where they can actually use some of these immigration programs," he explained. "The small little guys, it's just too much red tape for them to access those programs."
"There's still a long ways to go to make this easier."
As concerns with COVID-19 faded, the sector was largely carried by domestic travellers in 2021 and 2022, Reeder said. Now, as inflation eats into Canadians' disposable income, the sector is already seeing a slight slowdown.
"The need for the overseas and international market to come back has never been more important," he added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.