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Tourism labour study sets up in Sea to Sky

Go2 developing strategy for recruitment, retention of tourism workers

The growing number of career ads in the back of local papers drives home the fact that Whistler is currently going through a labour shortage. Less obvious is an explanation as to why the resort is having a harder time recruiting and retaining staff, and what the solution is to the problem.

Last week go2, a human resources development organization funded by the provincial tourism industry, announced plans to develop a regional human resource plan for the Sea to Sky corridor to support tourism growth before, during and after the 2010 Winter Olympics. While the focus is Whistler, the study will also include Squamish and Pemberton.

The final report, which will be produced by a newly created Sea to Sky Tourism HR Strategy Steering Committee, will make a wide range of recommendations in three general areas: recruitment, retention and training, and development. In the process they will be looking at issues like housing, wages, demographics, gaps in training, untapped labour pools, barriers to hiring like visiting worker programs and immigration laws, and the way tourism jobs are promoted.

"We’re very early on in the process, but part of the study is to uncover not just the problems but also the solutions that impact a region’s ability to attract people," said John Leschyson, the director of industry human resources development for go2.

Some of Whistler’s issues are obvious, he said, such as housing and growing competition with resorts for skilled employees, but the goal is to leave "no stone unturned, and get as much ammo as we can for when we take our strategy to the policy makers."

Whistler is not the only town having trouble finding staff, although our problems are the most pronounced in that the shortage ranges from senior management to entry-level workers.

A recent survey of more than 30 hotels in the Kootenays found that there was a shortage of housekeeping staff.

One of the solutions gaining support recently is loosening the current guest worker and immigration policies to increase the labour pool for the tourism industry.

During a recent Pacific Northwest Economic Region conference in Whistler, the Council of Tourism Associations said that even with an increased number of post-secondary programs focusing on tourism the graduation rates are still behind the rate of attrition. Until enough people start to look into tourism as a career, the only stop-gap measure available for many resorts is to increase the number of, and lengths of stay for, guest workers and to recruit new immigrants from urban centres.

According to Leschyson most immigrant labourers continue to move to Vancouver and Victoria to be with their ethnic communities, even if it means being unemployed or underemployed. Getting those immigrants to move to resort towns and bedroom communities of resort towns will be a challenge, says Leschyson, but it could solve a problem.

Most of the changes to guest worker and immigration issues have to come from higher up.

"The laws and regulations for these programs were designed years and years ago because of a legitimate requirement of government to ensure Canadian jobs were protected from foreign workers. There was higher unemployment back then, and nobody had trouble finding workers," said Leschyson.

"Now we’re in a position where we have to rely on programs like immigration and worker programs, but the rules haven’t changed."

The Sea to Sky Tourism HR Strategy Steering Committee includes business leaders, members of local chambers of commerce, Tourism Whistler, tourism operators, representatives from municipalities, First Nations, go2, Capilano College and the CAW Union, and is chaired by Kerry Jothen of Human Capital Strategies.

Leschyson believes it will take a year before a report with recommendations can be made.

In addition, go2 is looking to conduct similar studies in other regions of the province and Leschyson says some of the problems and solutions for Whistler will be applied in other jurisdictions.

"I think what we’ll find looking at this is that some of Whistler’s problems are common across the province and will need a common solution. We’ll also find, as we look at things regionally, that there are definite regional issues that are unique to those areas and require unique solutions. I don’t think we can have too much information or too many ideas at this point," said Leschyson.

According to a province-wide study of tourism sectors and regions, 41 per cent of respondents said finding qualified, trained and experienced employees was their number one recruitment issue. Cooks and housekeepers were in highest demand (19 per cent and 18 per cent of respondents), followed by front desk agents (10 per cent), dishwashers and bus staff (nine per cent), food and beverage servers (eight per cent) and managers (six per cent).

Along with the government of B.C., Tourism B.C. and the Council of Tourism Associations set a goal in 2003 of doubling provincial tourism revenues by 2014.

• Tourism currently accounts for more than 117,500 direct jobs in British Columbia, and generates $9.5 billion in visitor revenues. With indirect employment the workforce is 266,000, or one out of every eight jobs in the province.

• The industry contributes more than $1 billion in tax revenues and fees annually to the province.

• Based on current industry growth patterns, the tourism industry will need an additional 84,000 skilled workers in the next 10 years.

• By 2010 the province will need 44,000 new food and beverage workers, 19,000 hotel and accommodation workers, 13,000 new adventure tourism and outdoor recreation workers, and 500 new travel services workers.

• By 2010 there will be 36 per cent more openings than employees in managerial positions for food services and accommodation.

• Four out of every 10 tourism jobs created as a result of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be outside of the Lower Mainland, southwest coast region of the province.