Housing is not keeping up with the demands of an expanding
workforce, according to the 11
th
annual Employer Housing Needs
Assessment presented by the Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) at Monday’s
council meeting.
Among other things, the annual survey of businesses found that
nearly 30 per cent of employers were unable to meet their staffing needs for
the 2007-08 season. All indications are that it will be even tougher this year
with less housing available, and the demand for workers increasing by roughly
300 full time employees, from approximately 14,000 last winter. For 2009-2010,
the workforce is expected to increase to 14,500 workers.
The survey of employers — 46 per cent responded,
representing over 77 per cent of staffing needs — also found that roughly
79 per cent of workers called Whistler home. The other 21 per cent commute from
Squamish or Pemberton. When the WHA was created the target was 75 per cent,
prompting Councillor Bob Lorriman to wonder if that was high enough given the
worker shortage.
“What jumped out at me, in our Whistler 2020 we have a goal of
(housing) 75 per cent of the work force in the valley, and even at 79 per cent
we are still hearing that we don’t have enough housing,” he said. “I am still
wondering if we have to go back and revisit that goal of 75 per cent, it
strikes me as a bit low.”
WHA manager Marla Zucht suggested that the goal could be increased
to 80 per cent. She also noted that one in three staff currently resides in
resident-restricted housing, and that roughly a third more resident restricted
beds — 2,200 beds in 615 units — will be created with new housing
projects at Rainbow, Cheakamus Crossing and Fitzsimmons Walk.
The survey also found that roughly 17 per cent of local
businesses currently provide housing to staff, and 26 per cent of businesses
surveyed planned to provide new or additional staff housing for employees.
The survey arrived at a critical time for the resort.
Whistler-Blackcomb hosted its annual job fair last weekend to hire roughly 300
new employees, and the Whistler Employee Resource Centre (WERC) is hosting its
annual job fair for Chamber of Commerce members Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m. at the Telus Whistler Conference Centre.
As well, the Gibbons Hospitality Group, which manages Buffalo
Bill’s, the Longhorn Saloon, Tapley’s, and the Fire Rock Lounge, is holding its
own job fair and open house on Nov. 11-12, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Buffalo
Bill’s.
Whistler-Blackcomb pursued a different strategy for hiring this
year, hiring most of its staff — some 1,200 positions — at job
fairs in Australia, New Zealand, South America, Czech Republic, and across
Canada. As a result they only hired 300 new staff members at their job fair
this past weekend, and are entering the season fully staffed.
“We took a different approach this year, and it was very
successful for us,” said Joel Chevalier, who says they are now referring applicants
to the WERC and Gibbons job fairs.
One of the benefits, Chevalier says, is the fact that employees
hired abroad only arrive a week or two before they’re scheduled to start
working. In past years people would arrive in September or October to attend
the job fair, and may be out of work for several months while they wait to work
— if they were hired.
The strategy was so successful that Whistler-Blackcomb is
already planning to expand the program next year, hiring for the 2009-2010
Olympic year with job fairs starting in March. They also plan to branch out to
other countries, including South Africa.
As well, Employee Experience introduced a new job share program
that combines various part-time jobs into full-time positions, which allows
them to give staff more hours while requiring less housing. “It reduces the
number of people we need to hire, guarantees full time hours to employees, it
can mean a better schedule, and the employees get a little work variety,”
explained Chevalier. “We now have 50 people doing what we would have normally
hired 100 people to do.”
For example, he said someone might start the day in Guest
Relations selling lift tickets and lessons, then head up the mountain before
lunch to work in one of the lodges.
Whistler-Blackcomb also has more beds available to staff than
in any previous years. The job share strategy freed up roughly 50 beds, and
they have negotiated with local landlords for 145 beds in market housing.
“We usually have 79 or 80 in the valley, and this year we have
145. It’s gotten to the point where landlords are calling us to see if we want
to rent their house,” Chevalier said. “We’re maxed out in terms of our budget,
and didn’t want to create hardships for other businesses so we’re directing the
callers to other employers that are looking for staff housing.”
According to Jodi Annett from the Whistler Chamber of Commerce
employment resource centre, interest in the WERC job fair is slightly lower
than previous years.
“I think this is due to employers being prepared and recruiting prior to the start of the season,” said Annett. “The development of two year work visas has also allowed staff to stay in one position for longer and increases the employment rate as well.”