According to the latest figures from Statistics Canada, there were 24,580 job vacancies in Nova Scotia in May, an increase of more than 22 per cent from April, with more than 1,600 in accommodation and food services. “We’ve probably never seen anything like this in the history of the restaurant industry in Nova Scotia,” said Gordon Stewart, executive director of the Nova Scotia Restaurant Association. “The labor issue will be bigger and tougher on restaurants than the COVID issue and will last at least until 2030.” Gordon Stewart says it will be a challenge to rebuild the 32,000-strong food service workforce because many industries are competing for workers. (Dave Laughlin/CBC) Stewart said it takes about 32,000 people to run the provincial food service industry, but the current number is closer to 27,000.
How do restaurants cope?
Stewart said about 80 per cent of restaurants in Nova Scotia have had to curtail operations in response to staff shortages. Many restaurants have reduced hours, menus and closed on days when business is typically slower. Bill Pratt, owner of several restaurants in the province, said the staff shortage has forced him to close all 21 of his locations at least one day a week. Bill Pratt owns 21 restaurants across the province, including the Upstreet BBQ Brewhouse, Habaneros and Cheese Curds chains. All 21 locations had to reduce operating hours due to staffing issues. (Rob Short/CBC) “I can’t stress enough how important it is to not be able to open seven days a week,” Pratt said. “If you’re closed, you can’t generate revenue to pay the rent, the electric bills, the plumbing bills. It’s detrimental to the success of the business.” Pratt would like the federal government to fast-track the process of bringing foreign workers into Nova Scotia kitchens. Pratt hired recruiters more than six months ago who have found migrant workers, but they have yet to start cooking in his kitchens. “We need kitchen workers right now,” Pratt said.
Where did the local workers go?
The number of job vacancies in the food sector started to rise in 2013, but increased during the pandemic. The need for new kitchen staff is putting increased pressure on an already struggling labor pool. I cooked in nacho prep at Upstreet BBQ Brewhouse. Pratt closed the restaurant on Sundays and Mondays to give his staff a break. (Rob Short/CBC) Despite the wage increase, Pratt has lost kitchen staff to larger out-of-county restaurant groups that can provide more competitive wages. One former employee tried to recruit Pratt staff members because his new employer offered a signing bonus for new cooks, Pratt said. “When you start eating each other, what does that do to our industry? It’s killing us.” Pandemic shutdowns have also allowed many restaurant workers to rethink their professions. Burnout that comes from low wages, long hours and grueling working conditions has led to an increased number of vacancies. The Nova Scotia Restaurant Association surveyed industry members amid these staffing problems. The results showed that people with more than 10 years of experience in the kitchen made up the majority of employees leaving.
Hotels are not able to provide full services
At the beginning of the pandemic, tens of thousands of jobs were lost in the provincial tourism sector. Lisa Dahr, director of industry relations for the Nova Scotia Tourism Industry Association, said tourism demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, finding staff to fill accommodation positions has been a challenge. Lisa Dahr says rebuilding the lodging workforce has been difficult. (Rob Short/CBC News) Dahr has heard from hoteliers that they have had to cut back on food service and limit the number of rooms they rent. “They’re going to be affected by whether or not they have servers to prepare and serve that food, or whether they have enough housekeepers to clean the rooms.” Dahr said most sectors of the tourism industry expect three to five years to return to full staff. They seek to fill the positions through a more diverse labor pool, including youth, older workers and young Canadians.
