The pandemic brought new, unimagined challenges to the restaurant industry, from closures and loss of business to supply chain delays. In the post-pandemic climate, while some of those obstacles still continue to plague the industry, a newly intensified challenge has dominated: labour shortages. During more than two years of unreliable work, many people quit the […]
A new report from Nudge, a Toronto-based mobile platform for internal communications, that examined the state of the Canadian foodservice workforce found significant levels of dissatisfaction among hospitality and foodservice workers. The study found that 40 per cent of foodservice workers don’t feel heard by their organizations and nearly the same proportion (38 per cent) […]
By Geraint Harvey Last month, unemployment in Canada reached a record low of 5.2 per cent. Alongside low unemployment, many industries saw — and are still seeing — a worker shortage, with the number of job vacancies in Canada reaching 900,000 in January. Both of these things are good for workers, right? Prospective employers, desperate […]
For many Canadian workers, particularly in intense industries like foodservice, the burnout is real. A recent survey found that 84 per cent of Canadian employees have experienced burnout, with 34 per cent reporting high or extreme levels. Will easing public or workplace restrictions around COVID-19 automatically reverse employees’ pandemic-related burnout? For restaurant staff such as kitchen workers […]
By Vasiliki Bednar and Robin Shaban With the invention of gig-based platforms like Uber and SkipTheDishes, the gig economy has not just become an integral part of the labour industry, but also digital society as well. Along with the meteoric rise in popularity of these platforms, many of these companies have “monopsonies” in their industries. […]
Canadian food industry associations are calling on the federal government to create an “emergency” temporary foreign workers program to address the chronic labour shortages still being seen in the sector. The Canadian Press reports that the group of 10 associations representing the food and beverage processing sector includes Food and Beverage Canada, the Canadian Poultry and Egg […]
Takeout has surged in popularity throughout the pandemic. But while the customers are happy and restaurants are surviving, what is the toll on restaurant workers? In tandem with a combination of factors, including dining rooms being closed for long periods, increased technological adoption, and customers’ desire to both continue supporting local restaurants and also attain […]
The Ontario government has tabled unprecedented legislation that would allow food delivery workers and other couriers to access bathrooms at businesses where they are delivering or picking up items. The legislation, if passed, would apply to couriers and truck drivers as well as food delivery workers. “This is something most people in Ontario take for […]
By Bruce McAdams and Rebecca Gordon Restaurant operators across Canada are struggling to find enough staff to run their operations. This labour crisis has been highly publicized by Canadian media as a “labour shortage.” A recent survey by Restaurants Canada found that 80 per cent of foodservice operators were finding it difficult to hire kitchen […]
Amid an ongoing struggle for labour in the restaurant industry, leading job portal Indeed and OpenTable have joined to launch a month-long hiring initiative specifically aimed at foodservice. According to data from the U.S. National Restaurant Association cited by a press release, the industry has a shortage of over one million workers compared to pre-pandemic […]
