Quebec's Tourism Industry Struggles With Severe Labor Crunch
Quebec's tourism industry faces a severe labor crunch, with 53% of companies struggling to recruit. Montreal, the region hardest hit, has over 35,000 vacant positions, predominantly in tourism. The situation may worsen as Quebec considers reducing immigration quotas.
The chronic labor shortage in Quebec's tourism sector has left businesses desperate for workers. Recruiting locally for positions with evening and weekend hours and demanding jobs is near impossible, according to Marc-Andre Cyr, operations director of Hotel Le Francis in Paspebiac. The situation is so dire that even recruiting internationally has become a challenge. Charles-Antoine Choquette, vice-president and general manager of the Massif de Charlevoix, reports that keeping foreign workers has become uncertain.
Donald Desrochers, director of Hotels Marineau, relies heavily on foreign workers, with 29 out of 100 permanent employees coming from abroad, mainly in the kitchen. However, tightening immigration rules threaten this workforce. Marc-Andre Cyr estimates he will only be able to keep one of his seven foreign workers due to the 10% rule. The Massif de Charlevoix has already lost a third of its temporary foreign workers, who filled crucial roles in the kitchen and housekeeping.
Quebec's tourism industry, already weakened by a chronic labor shortage, now faces the prospect of losing more foreign workers due to tightening immigration rules. With 53% of companies still struggling to recruit and Montreal alone having over 35,000 vacant positions, the situation calls for urgent action from the government. The industry fears that reducing immigration quotas could exacerbate the labor crisis, further hampering the sector's recovery.
