As our summer seasons forges ahead, threads of positive news continue to come our way. So far, in July we’ve learned the date of the US border re-opening, plans for international travel to resume in September and an earlier restart of the cruise season in November.
And while the announcements are positive and wisps of momentum continue to build for our restart, there is no doubt that some familiar challenges continue to thwart our full recovery.
This season’s wildfires add another level of uncertainty and stress that businesses face as wildfires force evacuations from some of BC most popular tourism regions. You see it day in and out, tourism and hospitality operators play a critical role in disseminating information to staff and guests and keeping communities safe. Many accommodators are offering shelter and restaurant food. Tourism businesses continue to be the heart of communities during crisis. We’ve curated the provincial wildfire response and resources so that you can find all the information in one spot.
And as we continue to work towards recovery, the labour challenge issue, exacerbated by the global pandemic endures. With the BC Tourism and Hospitality Labour Market Information research study supported by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training, we are now better able to track regional employment in our industry. Check out our new BC Tourism and Hospitality Employment Tracker. We’re proud of the tool we’ve created that is free for all to use. We will be updating the tracker monthly and providing new analysis and insights with each consecutive month. Check it out and let us know what you think by emailing our project manager.
In other labour market initiative news, to help develop strategies to address labour shortages, we are currently surveying employers and employees and can really use your help. Please help us to get the survey to as many employers and employees (current and former) as possible. We really need to connect with as much of the tourism and hospitality workforce as possible to help us understand the impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and inform what we can do in the future to ensure a workforce that offers exceptional guest experiences across BC.
The go2HR job board has been inundated with opportunities – 4 times as many jobs as this time last year!. We are working hard to connect job seekers to these great employment opportunities. We appreciate your efforts in continuing to spread the word of this free resource.
Stay Safe – as we continue to battle COVID-19 and now wildfires.
Krista
