Employees make an impact on those who have recovered from the pandemic in BC

garretschoenbergSeptember 28, 2022

B.C. restaurants are short of about 30,000 to 35,000 employees as they try to come back from shutdowns that led to mass layoffs at the start of COVID-19.

Joy Rudder made a late career change to become an apprentice chef. (Photo credit: Francis Georgian / Postmedia) Photo by Francis Georgian /PNG

Chef-trained Joy Rudder is not your typical job seeker. She moved on after her long career as a journalist, environmental teacher in her native Trinidad and Tobago, and pastor.

But in hindsight, Rudder feels her decision to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a chef came at a serendipitous time when a labor shortage opened up seemingly endless opportunities.

“At first, I was just going all out, but I realized that with the lack of people working in restaurants, there were a lot of options,” Rudder said earlier this summer.

B.C. restaurants are short of about 30,000 to 35,000 workers as they try to come back from shutdowns that led to massive layoffs at the start of COVID-19, according to the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association.

The association’s CEO, Ian Tostenson, said it is having trouble recruiting because many of those who lost their jobs have moved on to more stable jobs.

The hospitality industry isn’t the only one hit by the pandemic.

Tourism, travel and trade have all had COVID-19 disruptions. But the state’s unemployment rate is still near record lows, with the unemployment rate he at 4.8 in August, and hiring is a challenge.

For Ladder, it offered her the opportunity to indulge in that passion, which she found “very rewarding.”

joy ladder Photo by Francis Georgian /PNG

While he was still on his way to becoming a Red Seal chef, Rudder has already worked on the phone at marketing firm Picnic Creative, the kitchen of a famous vegetarian restaurant, the fusion restaurant on Granville Street, and the Salvation Army’s Belkin House. was

She also started another part-time job at the Native-owned Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro on Broadway. Here we offer dishes of interest due to her past conservation efforts. Although Ladder is selective, she is able to stay focused on the “only now” opportunities in her college training in Vancouver, her community.

One day during the summer, Rudder was on his way home with one of his classmates. The classmate recounted how the hotel she worked at was “craving people.” Then she thought: OK, where do I really want to be?

Most recently, Ladder has turned his attention to a writing project due at the end of September. However, by standing by her side, even temporarily, she finds her “great need.”

Others see the opportunities the labor market presents.

As of June, Statistics Canada reported 178,810 vacancies in British Columbia, with an overall vacancy rate of 7.1% of all positions in the workforce.

Lucy Griffin, acting dean of the VCC’s Department of Trade, Technology and Design, said, “Throughout the pandemic, we have seen a significant shift in students returning for stable careers rather than jobs in fields hit hard during the pandemic. I got it,” he said. such as tourism and hospitality.

Computer systems, electronics, aesthetic professions, and transportation are all areas where courses are in high demand.

“We are expanding in all areas of transportation and trade,” Griffin said. Over the past six to 10 years, student numbers in the country have been declining nationwide, she said.

According to Jennifer Figner, Vice President of Academic Operations, BC Institute of Technology has a similar experience.

“It happened in waves,” Figner said. “From the fall of 2020 to the spring of 2021, there will be a massive influx of people transitioning from tourism to other jobs.”

That wave has waned, but has been replaced by a fresh influx of students seeking short-term programs and the specific qualifications needed to improve their job prospects and gain a greater edge in the hot job market. It is

“There are a lot of people who want to be promoted to management positions,” says Figner. “So many people want to add ‘soft skills’ or get a bachelor’s level degree if they can offer a degree course.”

Figner said BCIT is also hearing from employers who want to “fight big retirements” by offering upgrades as perks to existing employees, giving them the chance to advance within the company. .

From a recruiting perspective, talent shortages are turning the labor market into “a candidate market in our jargon,” said Cheryl Nakamoto, partner at agency McNeil Nakamoto Recruitment Group. .

“I think they’re being cautious because of the pandemic, but certainly they (workers) are feeling more comfortable and looking for more,” Nakamoto said. , it’s not just about jumping for chances.”

And the concept of “trading up” to a better job depends on what individual candidates are looking for, Nakamoto added. but flexibility also plays a role, she says.

Workers who have proven they can work productively from remote locations during a pandemic are often willing to change jobs to preserve that option.

“Common themes are better rewards, hybrid/remote and daily commuting,” said Nakamoto.

Recruiters have also seen clients use their services to fill positions that companies can normally find through their own advertisements.

Many people ask Swim to find internal recruiters, known in HR terms as “talent acquisition,” Miller said.

Preparing for a successful career change

Megan Hein, now a web developer based in Vancouver, was already seeking a more stable career in March 2020 when two restaurant jobs she had worked in Toronto evaporated during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was.

“I was juggling my schedule, just paying these jobs and high rent in Toronto[asking myself]. Is this sustainable?” Hine said. “I’m in my 30s now and I need a better career and really dependable benefits.”

She jumped at the chance to take a coding bootcamp at training company Lighthouse Labs in August 2020 to become a “full-stack” web developer. Online She was just in time to join the boom in businesses that need a presence. After moving to Vancouver.

“As everything moved online, a lot of brick and mortar stores needed something on the internet,” said Hein, who now works full-time at web development firm Autotelic.

“So it’s been a really great transition for me,” said Hine.

New country, new careers for newly born IT professionals

Mikhail Kashkov graduated from Vancouver Community College’s Computer Systems Technology program in April this year before signing his first contract to help develop an application that would allow cryptocurrency investors to track fluctuations in currency values. , took only two weeks.

I’m also not worried about my job prospects after completing my contract, as two of the skills I acquired during the two-year program, system administrator and computer programming, are “in great demand.”

Kashkov worked as a telecommunications sales representative and sales trainer in Russia before moving to Canada in 2018. He was looking for a high-paying and satisfying career, but with fewer ups and downs than sales. .

“Yeah, it sure works,” he said of the Switch.

depenner@postmedia.com

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