With the border closed, international travel to Canada in the first half of 2021 remained extremely low compared to 2019 (see Figure 1). Because the number of both travellers and tourists was so low, measuring any sort of increase since the pandemic struck requires removing any data from earlier than February 2020, the last month […]
Examining the Economic State of Tourism Read More »
This summer, the tight restrictions on activities that had been put in place during the third wave of COVID-19 were lifted. Although the timing and degree of relaxation varied by province, Canadians were able to travel, go to restaurants, visit museums, and book a hotel room. Although international visitation remained extremely limited, the domestic tourism
Where Can We Find Available Workers? Read More »
The tourism sector experienced a summer in which our ability to find workers was more difficult than ever. This was despite restricted demand from tourists, especially international travellers, and unemployment levels that remained above pre-pandemic levels. Many industries within the tourism sector are still waiting for demand to return, but for those that have started
Tourism’s Acute Need for Labour Read More »
As public health restrictions lifted over the summer months, tourism employment grew significantly. In May, there were 1.55 million employed tourism workers. By August, that number had increased by 341,000, reaching almost 1.9 million employed workers. Despite this, the sector fell well short of the level of employment seen in 2019. August represented the fourth
Summer Employment Rises…but Falls Short Read More »
By Joe Baker, CEO of Joe Baker & Co. and Tourism HR Canada Board Member Originally published by SUSTAIN Magazine If the first step in solving any problem is to recognize one exists, then the Canadian foodservice industry must first acknowledge that we have a workforce sustainability problem. And while this is a complex and
Mind the Gap: Towards a Sustainable Workforce Read More »
Despite ongoing public health restrictions that limited tourism businesses’ ability to operate, the sector gained employment in May, adding 45,800 workers. Gains in full-time employment were offset to a degree by declines in part-time employment. The seasonally adjusted Labour Force Survey data for May shows employment across all industries decreased by 68,000. However, the unadjusted
Tourism Employment Remains 25% Lower Despite May Gains Read More »
Workforce in Disarray COVID-19 has caused significant disruption to the tourism labour market, much greater than the economy overall. Many workers are not going to return to jobs once they are restored, causing some of the greatest labour shortages ever seen and hampering recovery. The reasons for this are complex and solutions or ways to
A Blueprint for Workforce Recovery Read More »
Tourism has been severely limited since COVID-19 closed international borders, and it still has a long way to go on the road to recovery. The journey will not be without challenges, but there is room for hope. Headwinds include the continued absence of international tourism and business travel. Many festivals and events, which would act
New: COVID-19 Tourism Workforce and Business Impact Reports Read More »
Tourism HR Canada’s latest report, The Post-COVID Future of the Tourism Workforce, takes an in-depth look at the systemic issues facing the tourism sector’s labour force and at the effect of COVID-19, and recommends how to make the tourism sector more sustainable and resilient as we recover from this crisis. While the primary focus is
Just Released: Post-COVID Future of The Tourism Workforce Read More »
In April, following two months of increases, tourism employment fell by 68,900. The seasonally adjusted Labour Force Survey (LFS) data shows employment across all industries—not just tourism—dropping by 207,000. The unadjusted data shows a drop of “only” 73,700—a large gap between adjusted and unadjusted data. Usually, employment starts to increase in the spring as businesses
Tourism Accounts for Nearly 95% of April Employment Losses Read More »
