Labour deficit predicted by 2012

HALIFAX—A recently released study from the Atlantic Provinces Restaurant Association paints a dim picture of the labour situation in the region.

Titled the 11 Point Action Plan for Minimizing the Market Gap in the Restaurant Industry in Atlantic Canada, the study outlines a bleak future with a predicted worker shortage.

“Atlantic Canada is expected to endure the worst labour shortages as a percentage of overall labour compared to other Canadian provinces,” the study quotes the Canadian Tourism Human Resources Council as saying.

“If we don’t do anything, we’ll be short 12,391 workers by 2025 in all of Atlantic Canada,” said Gordon Stewart, executive director of the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia.

After 2012, the situation is expected to turn very bleak, ramping up to 2025, when there won’t be enough of a young labour force to staff the industry in Atlantic Canada.

Right now, 60,000 employees are needed to adequately staff the hospitality and foodservice sectors in the region and it’s already 6,000 people short.

“After 2025, it’s going to be really bad. It’s scary,” Stewart said. 

Among the professions expected to experience the largest staff shortages are wait staff, bartenders, restaurant managers, kitchen help and cooks. Head chefs are expected to be much easier to find, according to the report.

“Difficulty in finding and attracting talented people will reduce service levels and Atlantic Canada’s marketability as a culinary tourism destination,” the report states.

In 2009, the foodservice industry in Atlantic Canada generated $3.5 billion, accounting for three per cent of the overall regional Gross Domestic Product.

Stewart said changes in  demographics are to blame, as society is aging, and, with couples having fewer children, there are less young people to replace those leaving the workforce.

“We need to be focusing on what the problem is going to look like. Before, when running training, there was no idea what was needed,” he said.

“We have to build relationships with community colleges and build programs around what is needed. There is no question we have to bring in foreign workers.”

Stewart said employers have to look at offering better benefits, health, medical and dental coverage, and increased salaries to attract staff to the restaurant industry.