On this week’s segment of Road to Recovery with Douglas Magazine, CHEK’s Hannah Lepine chats with Peter De Bruyn, Chair of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association.
Still reeling from the economic impacts of the pandemic lockdown, the province’s restaurant industry is now facing another challenge: labour shortages.
The B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association estimates, that of the 190,000 BC hospitality workers needed, the industry is short 35-40 thousand. And, for every three people retiring, only two workers are replacing them.
The BCRFA wants the provincial government to seek temporary exemption for hospitality employers from the need to file federal Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) so they can bring workers from other countries.
Currently employers need to obtain an LMIA showing there is a need for a temporary foreign worker, and that no Canadians or permanent residents are available for the job.
In this episode, De Bruyn talks about the challenges and how they’re addressing them.
Road to Recovery is done in partnership with Douglas Magazine.
Hannah Lepine
