Employer Resources
Hiring International Talent
Tourism HR Canada has created a series of infographics that cover tips and resources to help you navigate a variety of programs to hire internationally trained staff.
Plus: a summary of recent changes to immigration policy and a review of programs and pathways for operators to consider beyond the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Discover Tourism: Employer Resources
Free video tutorials, checklists and worksheets on management skills, and best practices for building and leading strong, successful, motivated teams.
Compensation Resources
From national compensation data to tourism operator insights to downloadable worksheets, find the resources you need to build a competitive compensation culture.
Webinars
Part of TIAO’s Forward Motion series, these five Building a Resilient and Vibrant Workforce webinars focus on workforce development, attraction and retention, compensation, seasonality, diversity and inclusion, and more.
Emerit eLearning and Certification
Emerit programs offer the most current skills, knowledge, and practices tourism professionals need to thrive. From entry-level to managerial roles, provide your team with flexible online courses or recognize their skills with a national credential.
Workforce Management Engine
The Workforce Management Engine (WME) is a specialized resource that hosts the Tourism Competency Framework. Free of charge, it offers users a look at what skills are needed for a variety of tourism roles, and the ability to create custom skills checklists, job descriptions, and more.
Hiring International Talent
Internationally trained workers are an important part of the tourism workforce. Newcomers to Canada, international students, displaced persons, and young adventurers have long brought their experience, knowledge, languages, and passion to our sector, adding to the visitor experience and to the workplace culture of our operators.
In the current economic and political climate, questions of immigration and temporary international workers are in the spotlight. Many operators are worried about their workforce, and whether they’ll be able to reach their staffing targets to meet growing customer demand. The policy landscape is changing rapidly, and what’s happening at the national level doesn’t always translate in the same way to all of the provinces and territories.
Tourism HR Canada partnered with Saskatoon Immigration and Employment Consulting Services to evaluate the programs currently available, and to identify programs and options that may be of interest to tourism operators.
This analysis summarizes some of the recent changes in policy and draws attention to programs and pathways other than the Temporary Foreign Worker Program; while the program remains a useful resource for filling some positions, it is by no means the only option available, and some of the other programs may actually be easier to navigate for business owners.
Immigration Pathways Factsheets
In addition to the full report, four Immigration Pathways factsheets summarize some key takeaways:
- Recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- Alternatives to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- Connecting with international workers already in Canada
- Investing in a student pipeline
Now Hiring
Tourism is facing strong competition for workers, a tumultuous economic landscape, and rapidly evolving workplaces. Adapting to new circumstances must involve multiple strategies. There is a need for better utilization of tailored resources and supports, along with adapting business models and improving HR practices.
To assist employers, Tourism HR Canada has created a free resource, Now Hiring: A Guide to Help Employers Attract and Retain Workers.
The tools in this guide are intended to help tourism businesses with both short-term and long-term strategies to attract, retain, and grow a skilled workforce. Now Hiring covers a range of essential HR practices, tips to implement them, and practical checklists and forms to help tackle key issues.
Discover Tourism
Elevate your skills to build stronger teams
Employer Compass
Now Hiring Guide
HR Self-Assessment
Compensation Resources
If you want to attract, recruit, and retain skilled workers for peak performance in your workplace, you need to know that your total compensation package is competitive. The Canadian Tourism Sector Compensation Study provides a wealth of information on wage rates by region and industry, and some high-level observations on trends in perks and benefits.
Tourism HR Canada’s compensation resources include:
- Canadian Tourism Sector Compensation Study
- Tourism Compensation Interactive Dashboard
- Workplace Culture and Compensation: Insights from Operators
- Build an Innovative Compensation Culture Worksheets
Building a Resilient & Vibrant Workforce
Tourism HR Canada collaborated with the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) to produce a special set of five webinars: Building a Resilient and Vibrant Workforce.
Part of TIAO’s Forward Motion series, these webinars focus on federal programs designed to support the creation of a resilient and vibrant workforce.
We are pleased to share the recordings below. Watch the full series for the latest on workforce development, immigration, labour market trends, innovation, and more.
A Blended Workforce
With the tourism sector facing a serious staffing shortfall, employers need to get creative – and smarter – in how we build and sustain our workforce. Learning to get by with a smaller and nimbler staff is not just necessary – it’s potentially transformative. We have the opportunity to rethink our recruitment strategies, restructure how our teams work together, and re-imagine the products that we offer.
(This webinar was recorded June 13, 2023.)
Attracting, Building, and Retaining an Indigenous Workforce
Unlock the full potential of Indigenous talent in your workplace through collaboration. Explore the keys to success in Ontario’s Indigenous tourism landscape, focusing on holistic approaches, authenticity, reconciliation, and mentorship.
(This webinar was recorded May 16, 2023.)
How Much Should I Pay?
Figuring out compensation is a balancing act. The question of what to pay always weighs heavily on tourism operators, particularly in today’s tight labour market. Is it all about dollars and cents? Or are there ways that you can re-imagine your total compensation package that will keep you competitive without breaking the bank?
(This webinar was recorded May 2, 2023.)
Building a Team That Stays
Learn the top three HR problems facing our industry, seven practical steps you can take today to create a workplace that attracts and retains talent—and why investing in people is good for business.
(This webinar was recorded April 11, 2023.)
Building a Seasonal Workforce
Across Canada, tourism businesses are facing a competitive labour market. One creative and effective solution is to hire internationally trained workers to fill seasonal roles. Join Tourism HR Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario to learn why—and how—to hire international talent.
To stay informed on upcoming webinars, be sure to subscribe to Tourism HR Insider.