Worker shortage leaves B.C.'s restaurant industry hungry for employees

Competition for employees is heating up among restaurants in B.C., amid a labour shortage that has forced many businesses to come up with new ways to attract and retain skilled workers.

Ian Tostenson, CEO and president of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said the sector has lost around 35,000 people since the beginning of the pandemic.

"A lot of people left the industry because there wasn't consistent employment," he said. "They went to tech, they went to health care, they went to school. So now everyone's competing against each other to be the best employer to attract people."

At Faubourg bakery and cafe in Vancouver, owner Franck Point began offering free medical benefits for his workers as a way to retain them and attract new ones.

"We have to improve the work environment," he said. "Try to reduce the stress as much as we can, to provide more flexibility, to provide something others — like our competitors — don't."

Point's two restaurant locations and central kitchen are in need of at least 15 more workers. 

He said the shortage has forced him to reduce operating hours and simplify his menus.

"I have been in the business for the past 11 years now, this is the first time we've faced this situation."

Maxine's Cafe and Bar in Vancouver is also desperately searching for more staff. The restaurant needs to recruit six new employees before the summer. 

"We've been looking for more employees for the last three or four months," said the restaurant's general manager Alain Canuel. "It feels like we're always behind the eight ball. We hire three, we lose one. A lot of times because of wages. It's getting harder and harder to compete." 

Tostenson called the labour shortage a "crisis" and said it has left some restaurants with no other choice but to hire younger people with less experience. 

He said the industry is relying heavily on skilled international workers to help, but with an immigration backlog in Ottawa, hiring workers from overseas hasn't been easy. 

"That's why we're calling it a crisis. It used to take five months to get a skilled worker. Now it takes over a year. That to me is unacceptable."