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Whistler-Blackcomb job fair expected to draw 2,200

Seasonal recruits competing for 1,200 jobs, housing The number of people applying for jobs on the mountain is up this year as are the number of people the mountain will likely hire.

Seasonal recruits competing for 1,200 jobs, housing

The number of people applying for jobs on the mountain is up this year as are the number of people the mountain will likely hire.

Last year about 1,400 had pre-booked for interviews on-line for the weeklong recruitment fair.

This year about 1,907 pre booked and Whistler-Blackcomb expects to interview about 2,200 people. That’s up about 200 people over last year.

About 1,200 will be hired, also up about 200 from last year.

A late and slow start to the season last year slowed hirings for the mountains. A soft economy, and international events, such as the war in Iraq, also played a part.

And, said Kirby Brown, director of employee experience for Whistler-Blackcomb, the number of new employees is also impacted by the number of returning workers.

"The (returning worker) number fluctuates between 1,500 and 1,700 year after year and at our top level we have about 4,000 employees altogether," said Brown.

"The primary age group that comes to us is 19 to 26 and that has been dwindling, and yet we see more and more applicants every year. So really it is the international reputation and the lure of the mountain environment that we think is really pulling people here despite economic conditions."

Kirby said Whistler-Blackcomb knows their minimum staffing levels and keep exceptional guest experiences at the forefront of their planning when they organize staffing for all parts of the mountain.

"We very much understand what those minimum levels are," he said.

"We are a very people-intensive business and that won’t ever change. We are always seeking more effective ways to operate and that won’t change in the sense of being economically sustainable."

By Nov. 7, the last day of the Whistler-Blackcomb job fair, as many as 2,200 people will have applied for work with the mountains. Those hired will have successfully made it through a ranking system. Rather than hiring people over the course of the week as has previously be done, this year all the applications and interviews will be done before people are offered positions.

"Now we only select the top ranking people that we have seen," said Brown.

And it’s not just work experience that is looked at.

"The first interview is about cultural fit and the second interview is the job specific one," said Brown.

"So you could be a neurosurgeon and if you don’t make it through the cultural fit then it doesn’t matter what your job experience is you won’t make it."

Hundreds and hundreds of young adults are flocking to Whistler with the hope that they fit the needs of the mountain or other employers.

"I am just here to snowboard and have a good time," said 26-year-old Nadine Logan of Tasmania who was took part in Whistler-Blackcomb’s annual recruitment drive.

"I want to spend the season snowboarding and meeting people. It is something I have always wanted to do. I’ve always known about Canada… and Whistler just had a bit of a calling card to it because it is so big internationally, there are lots of people, and it is so beautiful."

But jobs are only half the equation for a winter in Whistler; housing is the other half.

Whistler-Blackcomb provides housing for every one of its 1,200 new seasonal employees and a number of returning staff.

"That has always been a huge competitive advantage for us say over an American resort," said Brown.

"I haven’t heard the same level of horror stories as I have in the past. But it will be an issue. There is no doubt in my mind that this community still needs several hundred seasonal beds and hopefully there is stuff in the pipeline that will help sort that out."

Those who aren’t working for Whistler-Blackcomb must find housing in the community and that can be tough, especially as winter approaches.

Tasmania’s Sally Wolf is hoping to get a job and a home with the Whistler-Blackcomb.

"I have heard that it is hard to get housing," she said.

"The girlfriend that I had who was working here last year she fell right into it and didn’t have a problem at all. But I had another friend who had a really hard time so I was pre-warned.

"I think you just have to respect the fact that there are hundreds and hundreds of people here and limited housing and do the best you can."

There is more seasonal housing in the works, but in the meantime those whose jobs don’t include accommodation have to hope their wages meet their landlords’ demands.

"It is just crazy because in the end it is the employers who lose," said Marta Sutherland, employee resource co-ordinator for the Whistler Chamber of Commerce.

"You get some kids who can’t sleep and get any rest because the living conditions are difficult and then gets sick because he is not resting and so on."

Sutherland said people coming to Whistler to work do turn around and leave because they can’t afford the high rents charged here for seasonal housing.

And Whistler businesses generally pay more than $10 hour.

"The issue right now is that for evry one job in town we have two kids arriving looking for housing," said Tim Wake, general manager of the Whistler Housing Authority.

The WHA can help people find seasonal housing but they do not provide it.

"So we appear to have this huge housing demand," said Wake.

"It sorts itself out in December, and in January, we actually figure out whether the businesses are having trouble finding enough people or not.

"The reality is the worst year was three years ago and we have had two winters that have not been as bad in that respect and we are not hearing the same stories we were hearing three years ago about just not being able to find enough employees."

Wake said there are more ads in the papers for housing this year. Whether that is because there is more housing available is unknown.

Recent surveys show that the peak workforce in Whistler is about 10,500 and that has remained static for about four years.

"There are a lot of factors at work here," said Wake.

"Part of it is that we have not had as big winter seasons or summer seasons, but our numbers still show the workforce is increasing.

"And what is happening is that we are taking the increases in Pemberton and Squamish and we have better commuting."