Tourism and hospitality stakeholders from across Canada will gather in Ottawa this March for the annual Labour Market Forum, hosted by Tourism HR Canada.
Individuals representing all levels of business, education, labour, industry associations, and governments will participate in this “sleeves rolled up” working meeting, crafting recommendations and solutions to current and emerging labour challenges impacting the sustainability of our tourism sector.
This year’s key themes reflect the growing recognition Canada’s tourism sector is receiving. Tourist arrivals continue to grow, while visitor spending is also increasing. Tourism is a key employer in every corner of the country, one in ten jobs is related to the visitor economy—jobs ranging from part-time, entry-level work that suits students and others looking for flexibility, to C-suite positions for those aspiring to build a rewarding, lifelong career.
Capitalizing on this increasing demand for Canada’s unique tourism offering requires skilled individuals to provide incredible experiences. But there is increasing competition for workers coming from all economic sectors, as well as changing expectations from employees. Looking at such topics as attraction, retention, and training, forum attendees will collaborate to build on successes and discuss innovative solutions to implement.
On the agenda for 2019:
- Current labour market data, including some just-in-time stats
- Labour’s role within the new Federal Tourism Strategy
- Update on key topics from last year’s event:
- Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- Impact of wage changes in Ontario
- Strategy concerning international students
- Federally funded labour market projects, for example:
- Destination Employment (funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)
- Future Skills (funded by Economic and Social Development Canada)
- Seasonal labour issues
- Presentations from national tourism associations on their members’ key concerns and activities underway to address these
- A new career campaign
- Audacious, outside-the-box solutions to supply, skills, and mobility issues
- Actions stemming from Tourism HR Canada’s 2019-2021 Strategic Plan
Tourism HR Insider will examine the action items and key points of discussion following the event. Be sure to subscribe to keep informed.