The tourist industry, like many other sectors of the Canadian economy, is experiencing the effects of the scarcity of labour. In its case, however, these consequences are magnified by the growth of tourism across the country.
In 2017, Canada welcomed a record 20.8 million international visitors. Domestic tourism is also growing, to such an extent that specialists believe that the growing gap between labour needs and supply is threatening the industry, causing a likely shortage of 240,000 jobs by 2035.
For job seekers, however, the situation is quite ideal! The Conseil québécois des ressources humaines en tourisme (CQRHT) launched a promotion and information campaign at the beginning of summer 2018 to publicize the professions most in demand, of which the five most important are:
- Cook’s helper, counter server and similar support staff
- Cook
- Front desk clerk
- Housekeeping Attendant
- Guide/facilitator and monitor
These careers will be highlighted in turn over the next year using various content, such as portraits of workers in video format. These jobs can be offered in different sectors of the tourism industry, such as restaurants, hotels or tourist attractions, and all require various levels of training or experience.
But the CQRHT has also listened to the needs expressed by industry players who are not included in the official statistics. “We will also promote the job of snow groomer operator in the fall, a position for which people in the ski sector have reported a real need of candidates, although we do not have any data on this job since it is a very narrow speciality,” explains Annick Vigeant, director of communications and web marketing at CQRHT.
With forecasts of positive annual growth up to at least 2035, these vacancies offer some long-term stability with opportunities for advancement and mobility for all tourism trades. There are already many vacant positions and will be for a long time. “We are also exploring other labour pools that we have traditionally used less, such as immigrants, aboriginal communities, experienced workers (pre-retired and retired) and dropouts,” says Annick Vigeant.
If you like meeting people and listening to them, it’s a work environment that will please you. People who love outdoor work, variable hours and flexibility will find it a good fit for them.