Examining the Economic State of Tourism

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…

Where Can We Find Available Workers?

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…

Tourism’s Acute Need for Labour

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…

Summer Employment Rises…but Falls Short

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…

Mind the Gap: Towards a Sustainable Workforce

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…

Tourism Employment Remains 25% Lower Despite May Gains

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…

A Blueprint for Workforce Recovery

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…

New: COVID-19 Tourism Workforce and Business Impact Reports

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…

Just Released: Post-COVID Future of The Tourism Workforce

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…

Tourism Accounts for Nearly 95% of April Employment Losses

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…

One Year In: Tourism Employment Down Nearly Half a Million Jobs

In March, seasonally unadjusted tourism employment increased by 50,800. March was the second month in which tourism employment increased, following five months of decreasing employment from September to January. Despite the increase, Canada’s tourism sector employed 450,200 fewer people than…

Lost Momentum: Newly Released Data Shows the Rapid Tourism Job Growth COVID Interrupted

New information from the Tourism Human Resource Module (THRM) will soon be available on Tourism HR Canada’s website. The Tourism Human Resource Module is commissioned by Tourism HR Canada and produced by Statistics Canada. It provides statistics for the entire…