Tourism Sector Growth Projected
Two recent reports on BC’s labour market have concluded that tourism is growing throughout the province. While growth is a good thing, particularly for those who are looking for work, it can also be challenging for employers to find enough employees to fill their positions. In order to make sure there are enough skilled people to fill the job vacancies, we must first understand how many people will be needed and where.
Labour Market Projections
A task force was formed in 2001 to examine the HR demands in the tourism industry. The report concluded that 84,000 skilled workers will be required by 2015 to fill new job openings. When combined with normal attrition (retirements and deaths) the growth in the industry will result in significant demands for a variety of occupations over the next several years. Some of the more significant demands will be in the following areas:
| Occupation | Total Openings 2000 – 2010 |
| Restaurant and Food Services Managers | 10,617 |
| Cooks and Chefs | 11,484 |
| Food Service Counter Attendants | 8,480 |
| Food and Beverage Servers | 7,723 |
| Accommodation Service Managers | 4,829 |
2010 Winter Games Create Tourism Jobs
The 2010 Winter Games HR Planning Committee commissioned Roslyn Kunin & Associates, Inc. to report on the projected demand for workers in BC from 2003 to 2015. The report, entitled 2010 Winter Games Labour Demand Analysis, also indicates a strong need for more people in BC’s tourism industry. Overall, the numbers confirm what the task force report had already stated. This report concludes that the 2010 Winter Games will create 62,825 jobs in tourism-related sectors. Some of the occupations that will be most affected by the 2010 Winter Games include:
| Occupation | Growth 2003 – 2015 |
| Occupations in Food & Beverage | 6,438 |
| Chefs & Cooks | 5,059 |
| Food Counter Attendants & Helpers | 4,792 |
| Managers in Food Services & Accommodation | 4,185 |
Skilled Labour Shortage
Roslyn Kunin and Associates developed another report entitled 2010 Winter Games Labour Supply and Gap Analysis that reviews the supply side of the labour market and projects where the gaps will occur (i.e. where demand exceeds supply). The conclusion is that there will be a shortage of skilled labour.
The report indicated that there will be 36% more openings for Managers in Food Service and Accommodation than people available from the labour pool to fill them. Between 2003 and 2015 there will be a shortage of 8,601 Managers in Food Service and Accommodation.
The report also indicated that four out of every 10 tourism-related jobs created as a result of the 2010 Winter Games will be outside the Mainland/Southwest region of the province. It is estimated that tourism-related incremental growth outside this region will include 9,674 jobs in the Vancouver Island/Coast region, 6,966 openings in the Thompson/Okanagan region, 2,217 in the Kootenay region, 1,846 in the Cariboo and 2,318 in the rest of the province.
Both the task force report and the report prepared for the 2010 HR Planning Committee paint a similar picture. Tourism is alive and growing. There will be a lot of opportunity and challenges facing the industry as it prepares for the Olympics and beyond.
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