Retailers in Prairies ‘concerned’ about lack of seasonal workers as holidays approach

Indeed’s holiday hiring trends report shows an uptick in employers looking for seasonal workers. As Mark Neufeld reports, the number of job postings has grown more than job seeker interest which may make hiring a challenge for some businesses.

By Mark Neufeld

Retailers in the Prairies are “quite concerned” about the lack of seasonal workers heading into the holiday season.

John Graham with the Retail Council of Canada says retailers are focused on increasing staffing levels as major shopping events like Cyber Monday and Black Friday approach.

Graham says over the past 18 months, many seniors and youth left the workforce – an important demographic that used to fill in as part-time seasonal staff.

“Some are slowly coming back partly because of inflation and economic pressures, some who are more comfortable with the workplace, but still there is this gap that retailers are working hard to fill,” said Graham, the RCC’s director of government relations for the Prairie region.

“Retailers are quite concerned about labour issues as we gear up to these very busy holiday weeks.”

A new report shows there is increased demand for seasonal workers across Canada as holiday shopping ramps up, but employers may find it difficult to fill those jobs.

Indeed’s holiday hiring trends report released Wednesday shows that seasonal postings for this winter are up 28 per cent compared with last year, and up 40 per cent from 2019.

People pass a large Christmas tree as they go shopping on Christmas Eve at a mall in Ottawa on Dec. 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Indeed senior economist Brendon Bernard says holiday job postings have grown more than job seeker interest. That means filling openings will be a challenge for some employers who may have to offer better wages or flexible scheduling to attract new seasonal hires who are most needed in the retail sector.

“For employers looking to fill roles and struggling to find job seekers, you have to think about what ways can you stand out,” said Bernard.

Change to international student hours

UPS Canada President Stephanie Dexter says UPS will hire around 3,000 seasonal workers this year to keep up with increased shipping demands over the holidays.

“One big change this year that’s going to be a really great opportunity, and it’s good for all businesses – not just UPS – is the change the government made with the international student hours,” said Dexter.

To address the country’s labor shortage the Canadian government recently lifted restrictions on how many hours international students can work.

Starting Nov. 15 until Dec. 31, international students with off-campus work authorization won’t be restricted to working only 20 hours a week.

WATCH: Canada turns to international students amid labour shortage

That’s a big help, according to Dexter, during a difficult time in finding seasonal workers.

“They are going to be able to work full time and that will be a huge benefit to us, and that will give us the additional bandwidth we need without having to hire even more and more,” she said.

But the holiday season is just the first hurdle. Bernard believes the demand for workers will continue beyond the holiday season.

“Canada’s in a tight labour market and that’s a tight labour market that’s filtering out into lots of different areas of the economy,” he said.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today