“You used to be able to hang out a “Help Wanted” sign and have 50 people line up for the job. Now there are 50 “Help Wanted” signs and one candidate,” says Ian Milford, principal at Vancouver-based JRoss Recruiters. In fact, according to Restaurant Canada’s Outlook Survey for Q3 2021, 93 per cent of all restaurants across the country reported a staff shortage, with half declaring a “significant shortage”. Statistics Canada’s recent research cited more than 130,000 vacancies in the foodservice and lodging sector, with the majority being restaurant jobs.
While a dearth of qualified candidates predates the pandemic, COVID-19 has certainly made a bad situation worse. It seems a deadly disease gave many workers pause, a chance to step back and re-evaluate (often with the help of government subsidies) their lives and careers. Many used the time and money to re-train for entirely different, more stable, fields, such as tech and health care. Some retired, some returned to their home countries and, with lockdowns and visa challenges, can’t get back in. Others gravitated to the flexibility of the gig economy, working for food delivery companies like Door Dash, Uber and Lyft. For those who remain, the table has turned. Now sought-after, they have demands — and those demands often go beyond cold, hard cash. To find out more, click here to read my latest story for Foodservice & Hospitality Magazine.
Robin Roberts 