2020 has not been an easy year for employees in the restaurant industry. As a return to normalcy looms soon, several upheavals are underway. Let's take a closer look.
A large number have been placed on forced unemployment due to the pandemic as of March 2020. In total, more than 70,000 would have lost their jobs during the entire year 2020.
Even before the pandemic hit full force, we often spoke to you about the labor shortage and restaurateurs who had to scramble to fill available positions.
In fact, in December 2020, nearly 2,500 establishments had not renewed their license compared to the same period 12 months previously. This data suggests closures.
Despite everything, the workforce situation is unfortunately not expected to improve, as the 2021 season must finally take off with the reopening of dining halls across Quebec.
So much so that the human resources sector was called upon to facilitate recruitment: access to the gym before the shift, an increase in salaries and a group insurance plan. We even mandated rapper FouKi to create an advertisement to attract as many workers as possible.
Some restaurants in Montreal have decided to increase employee wages by 10% so that no one in a certain kitchen will earn less than $ 20 an hour. At the Foodtastic group, the average has been reduced from $ 22 to $ 25 for certain positions.
By the way, don't be surprised if the price of the menus is also increasing… In addition to the salary, the suppliers have also increased their prices.
Finally, Montreal restaurant Larrys found another way to attract and keep employees. They have raised the wages of employees and the price of the menu, in fact. Instead, they ask customers not to tip.
In the minds of owners, their employees are professionals and they should be paid accordingly, by employers, not customers!
Recall that the minimum wage for employees in Quebec is $ 13.50 an hour, and for tip jobs it is $ 10.45 an hour.
