The labor shortage does not look set to end. For many years, the lack of employees in restaurants has been striking. Everything has been accentuated over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, while a vaccination passport is about to be required every time you go out to a restaurant, labor needs are still too infrequently met. what are the solutions?
Competition between establishments in the same city, or the same street in some cases, is increasingly fierce.
Some restaurateurs have decided to increase employee salaries to fill kitchen and service positions, whether they are butlers, waitresses or even delivery staff. Of course, this increase in wages at hourly rates is to the detriment of customers, who have seen the billing increase accordingly.
Uber too
This shortage is even being felt at Uber, which recently announced a lack of drivers across Quebec to ensure deliveries to member restaurants. Showing a drop of nearly 80% in its activities in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Uber affiliates in Quebec have since returned to normal turnover.
However, this shortage of Quebec drivers comes with its share of advantages for those attempting to volunteer. In fact, due to an increase in deliveries, the hourly rate for a driver can now rise to $ 28. This is about $ 10 more than what was disclosed in 2019.
This hourly rate is, however, very dependent on supply and demand. It is impossible to know for how long the drivers will be able to get by with this amount. That's why Uber is trying everything to attract new ones and even offers a bonus of around $ 1,000 upon registration, under certain conditions.
The company, which started out in California and now has operations in nine provinces across Canada, is even working on its own benefits plan, a hybrid between employee and self-employed.
Overseas recruitment
Other restaurant owners have decided to test the international market to recruit their employees.
This is the case in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean where many people immigrated to this region solely for work. Two of them are now employed at the Témaki restaurant, nine will be added to the Café Summum staff and a dozen are currently employed at the Alex and Jennie Gardens.
The local workforce is becoming insufficient to fill all available positions and allow businesses to operate.
Now, some recruiting agencies specialize in finding employees specifically for restaurants. It seems that since deconfinement, requests in this direction have exploded.
Emergency aid guilty?
Could governments be responsible for this workforce crisis? Several employers' associations believe so, while the Canadian Economic Recovery Benefit (PCRE) still helps nearly 100,000 Quebecers to date.
During this time, approximately 150,000 positions are vacant and to be filled. But many job offers do not receive any applications!
According to many of the experts surveyed, people who currently receive PCRE have more advantages in staying home than returning to the workforce. Nonsense, according to them.
Others say, however, that people receiving this government assistance are not qualified for available restaurant positions.
So where is the problem? What will be the perfect solution?
