2006-09-06 - Vancouver Sun
By: Fiona Anderson

Students can work on their terms: Labour shortage a major problem for fast-food firms

B.C. restaurants face a major labour shortage this fall.

With students heading back to school this week, employers are scrambling to find and keep good help -- which means those who want to keep working may be able to dictate on what terms.
"[Students leaving jobs] is hard because we have a labour shortage already," said Arlene Keis, CEO of go2, the human resources association for British Columbia's tourism industry.
Demographics also adds to the problem, said Ashley Haslett, communications manager for BC & Yukon Hotels' Association. Baby boomers are retiring, and wanting to travel, and there are not enough young people coming into the market to fill their shoes.
Students going back to school "magnifies [the problem] because the traditional pool for labour essentially dries up come the beginning of the school year," Haslett said.
"So it is a challenge. It's a very big challenge."
Frank Bourree, president of Chemistry Consulting Group, which recruits employees for hotels, tourist attractions and restaurants, said he's never seen so many help-wanted signs.
"They're all over the place," Bourree said.
The hardest hit are fast-food restaurants, he said.
"Many of the students that typically would work in fast foods because they couldn't get anything else are now finding a ton of opportunities in hotels, which pay more," Bourree said. "So the fast-food industry has really been hit hard."
Smart operators will take really good care of the employees they have to maintain lower turnover, including paying a fair wage and offering flexible hours, Bourree said.
Restaurants are already providing flexible hours to fit into students' schedules, said Mark von Schellwitz, western vice-president of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association.
"With the tight labour market the way it is right now, it's really the employees that dictate when they are going to work, rather than the other way around," von Schellwitz said.
Flexibility is one reason the Cactus Club Cafe has been able to keep its staff, more than half of whom are students, the company's director of operations Andrew Latchford said. Another key reason is the pay.
"The beauty of our business is that for the amount of time you invest at work, you actually make very good money, which is what attracts so many students to our industry," said Latchford, who started working at the Cactus Club when he was a student.
The restaurant asks employees for a minimum commitment of three four-hour shifts a week, but even that can be stretched to keep a good worker.
"In order to keep the best people working for us, we often do whatever we need to do to retain them," Latchford said.
Tim Hortons and Starbucks try to keep their part-time staff happy by providing benefits, flexible work hours and scholarship opportunities or tuition reimbursement programs, spokespeople for those companies said. Starbucks even has a stock-option plan and a free pound of coffee each week.
But for perks, nothing beats a free ski and snowboard pass, which brings students to work at Grouse Mountain year after year.
The mountain resort, which is the biggest youth employer on the North Shore, also offers discounts in its retail shops, and ski deals at other mountains, marketing and public relations manager Chris Dagenais said.
While students are encouraged to work full-time during the summer, hours are more flexible in the winter to accommodate school schedules, Dagenais said.
So despite the tight labour market in B.C., Dagenais expects the resort to get more than enough applicants at its annual job fair in October.
"While construction may offer more term jobs and some higher wages, the benefits of getting experience first-hand at a top attraction as well as garnering that ski and snowboard pass is a pretty big influence for a lot of our employees," Dagenais said.