‘If we do not hire more people, we'll potentially have to shut down during some hours’
Some Prince Edward Island employers are cutting staff hours and pushing remaining workers into longer shifts as federal immigration cuts shrink the temporary foreign worker and international student pool, according to a recent report.
Kitchen staff at Rodd Crowbush Resort on the Island's North Shore are working six days a week with extended shifts because the kitchen is short three cooks, CBC reported. Executive chef Donovan Benoit said recruitment has become increasingly difficult.
"It's been hard to find good people, hard to find people who want to stay through the whole season," Benoit said, adding that younger workers with families outside of work are less willing to accept shifts spanning entire summer days.
Rodd Hotels and Resorts has relied on international students and graduates seeking permanent residency to fill at least 20 per cent of its jobs, CBC reported. More immigrants and temporary residents left P.E.I. than moved to the province over the past nine months, marking the Island's first population decline in years, while Ottawa is also giving the province 20 per cent fewer permanent residency nominations this year than last, according to the report.
Eriks Faccin, director of people and guest experience with Rodd Hotels and Resorts, told CBC that continued shortages could force the company to reduce operating hours at some restaurants. "If we do not hire more people, we'll potentially have to shut down during some hours or do something to try to keep the business going," he said.
Faccin added the company is limiting overtime for kitchen staff. "We cannot get them working 12 hours, 14 hours in a kitchen environment. We also need to be responsible when it comes to respecting our staff and their health and safety," he said.
Nearly half of Canadians say current immigration levels are too high - even as most acknowledge its role in addressing labour shortages, reports Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Work permit expirations
Kevin Murphy, chairman of Murphy Hospitality Group, told CBC he is concerned about employees whose work permits are set to expire: "They come all this way. They invested in their education and now they're forced to leave."
He said he hopes Ottawa introduces a new immigration program directed at industries facing the greatest labour shortages, adding that the sentiment is shared across sectors facing similar pressures.
In a statement to CBC, the P.E.I. government said it "remains committed to a measured and strategic approach to candidate selection under its provincial immigration programs," and continues to advocate with Ottawa to align national immigration policy with the province's labour market needs.
While the official targets may seem static, the real flow of new permanent residents—and thus, potential talent—will actually increase in the near term, according to Rachel Battaglia, economist at RBC.
