B.C. labour challenges predicted to ease in the fourth quarter

September 29, 2022

Restaurant executive Carl McCreath found it challenging to staff his large Steamworks pub and two Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar locations in recent months.

“We’ve never really felt comfortable in the schedule that we had enough people,” the president of Steamworks Restaurant Group told BIV.

“We’ve been up against it all summer, with the pressure of hiring and training, and the constant flow of new employees coming in.”

Many hospitality workers left the sector during the pandemic so they were not around to help when consumers flocked to restaurants this summer.

Demand from restaurants was so strong that many employees flitted from working at one restaurant to working at another, testing out which one they liked to work at the most, McCreath said.

Pre-pandemic, he had a stable workforce. Now, he has to continually train new staff.

McCreath anticipates his restaurants to have fewer labour challenges this fall because business will be slightly less than in the summer.

McCreath is not alone. Owners and managers across the restaurant industry have scrambled to find reliable workers.

Many will be happy to see business slightly dip now that it is autumn.

British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservices Association CEO Ian Tostenson estimated that business in the fall is about 20 per cent less than in the summer, but that it is still significant.

Source: Business in Vancouver