Tourism HR Canada is pleased to announce it has received funding for several exciting labour market research initiatives over the next three years.
Thanks to the generosity of Employment and Social Development Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program, Tourism HR Canada will undertake the research necessary to help minimize labour and skills imbalances and shortages, and ensure the tourism sector remains globally competitive and innovative.
Tourism HR Canada’s research project contains seven specific initiatives:
- Produce principal statistics on the tourism sector’s labour force using sources such as the labour force survey and census.
- Host an annual labour market forum that consults with tourism industry stakeholders over two days. Participants will work together to discuss current and emerging issues and formulate solutions and recommendations.
- Conduct a survey of salaries, wages, and benefits offered to tourism employees. This study will provide employers with detailed compensation data by occupation.
- Update our forecast of future labour demand in the tourism sector as well as any resulting job shortages.
- Update the Provincial-Territorial Human Resource Module, a foundational dataset on the tourism labour market. This update will take advantage of Statistics Canada’s receipt of funding to update the Provincial-Territorial Tourism Satellite Account
- Conduct five to eight industry or regional studies that inform strategies for addressing systemic tourism workforce issues. Tourism HR Canada is seeking input from our partners and stakeholders on the specific subjects to be studied, and will look to leverage other projects and funding to expand these studies where needed.
- Increase our research capacity to better meet our partners’ and stakeholders’ needs for reliable, timely, and accurate labour market information.
In 2017, Canada welcomed 20.8 million international visitors, the highest number ever. As tourism becomes a greater part of this country’s economic makeup, a targeted skills and workforce development strategy will be crucial. Businesses, industry associations, governments, and the education sector need improved workforce planning strategies. This labour market research project will lead to increased knowledge and understanding of the economic and social importance of Canada’s tourism sector, allowing businesses, industry, and governments to make informed planning and policy decisions regarding the future of tourism.
This research is a key pillar of our work to make tourism a destination for employment and ensure the sector reaches its full potential.
For more information, contact Calum MacDonald, Vice-President, Labour Market Intelligence: research@tourismhr.ca.
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