Tackling the labour challenges impacting Canada’s tourism sector will involve many strategies. Better utilization of tailored resources and supports, along with adapting business models and improving HR practices will be essential, but not enough. Addressing structural constraints requires an advocacy…
Employment across the economy often drops slightly in September. On average, between 2010 and 2019, seasonally unadjusted employment declined by 151,300 in September. This year, seasonally unadjusted employment increased by 34,300 individuals. Since the number of employed workers usually decreases,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
