Almost two years into the pandemic and it continues to be a job-seekers market in Squamish, with no sector not feeling the labour shortage.
"We definitely still see a lot of jobs and a lot of demand from local employers, and not as much employment participation as we've seen prior to the pandemic," said Natalie Szewczyk, program manager with .
"I would say that almost every sector is going to be impacted to some degree."
Even professional, well-paid jobs with stable employers are not getting filled as easily these days, she added.
What is new is the number of office administration-type jobs that are available.
"Those jobs are plentiful right now, which is unusual, because, normally, we don't see as many of those jobs posted as those are often jobs people are highly attracted to," Szewczyk said.
Have wages gone up to attract staff?
Szewczyk said sectors that typically struggle most to find employees in Squamish — even prior to the pandemic — such as food and beverage, fast food and retail service — have seen wages increase.
Those wages "are actually quite high, even higher than they've ever been before," she said.
But overall, wages and cost of living in Squamish are not balanced yet.
"I think employers are looking at where they can enhance their packages to individuals. Some employers offer a bonus, some employers are potentially looking at increasing wages as well. But I would say that it doesn't quite match the rapid increase in the cost of living, which is kind of a double-edged sword," she said.
The COVID-19 effect
Szewczyk said the impact of COVID-19 on the local labour market continues to be quite significant.
For job seekers, there are some benefits.
"It does give people an opportunity to pause and rethink their career. I think the pandemic silver lining is that it has really allowed people to reflect on what's important to them, in terms of their work values, how much they work, where they work, you know, just work-life balance."
She added that people are looking for more stability and job security in a very uncertain world and time. More people are seeking to find work in unionized environments than the centre usually sees.
"I would say that health care benefits seem to be probably more requested than some of those other perks and benefits," she said.
Employers have responded to the shifting market by being more flexible, she noted.
COVID-19 has shown everyone that it is possible to work from home for many positions, so that is changing the face of work in Squamish and beyond, but it isn't going to be doable for every type of business, Szewczyk noted.
"Definitely, in many industries, I think that that's going to be a massive draw for a lot of people. And, obviously, industries like the tech sector, have been miles ahead for many years, operating in that kind of fashion. But now we're seeing that go into a lot of other industries. But, at the end of the day, it's never going to be every industry that is going to be able to embrace that, because we're still going to have a large demographic — in our lifetime, for that matter — that are still going to need that face-to-face support no matter what."
Advice
Factors in town such as a lack of affordable housing, a lack of transportation, and a lack of childcare continue and that, along with our recreation culture, means that we tend to have a transient population.
Thus, Szewczyk recommends if job seekers are looking for longer-term employment and if they have secured housing, that they share that information with potential employers.
For those who are seeking more seasonal work, ensuring they align that with the jobs they seek is important too, she added.
"It does make it really difficult for employers to invest in the right people if [workers] are not really planning to be here for a long time. I think it's important just to have that honesty with employers," she said.
For some employers that depend on more rotating staff seasonally or who are desperate for workers, it won't be an issue, she said.
Szewczyk said while the tables have turned and it is a job-seekers market, that doesn't mean folks can turn up for a job interview not having done their homework or with no applicable skills.
"If you're thinking of a career change, there's no better time than to do it right now. [But] there are still jobs that require specific education or relatable or transferable experience. So it's super important to recognize that you might need to do that. You might need to ... either gather some experience or maybe invest a little bit in yourself and further your education," she said. "Find out what you need so that you can ensure that you're best prepared and not just going in there, assuming that you're going to get the job with or without education or training."
It is also important for job seekers to ask questions if they get to the interview stage, she said, so that both sides are clear about what the position is and what is needed.
She also noted that the current situation likely won't last forever.
"Don't wait too long, because when this pandemic is over, you know, there's probably going to be a very large influx of people wanting to all do the same thing and then the competition level is probably going to change then. So now is a good time to do some career planning and mapping that out."
What about those isms?
Szewczyk said she doesn't hear of sexism and racism coming into play in the Squamish job market, but agism can be a barrier on both sides of the equation.
"I don’t want to say that this is anything new," she said. "We have a fairly younger demographic in the Sea to Sky Corridor and we do have quite a few clients who are a bit more mature workers who do struggle," she said.
"And they may have the right skills and characteristics, the work ethic, the education, the training, the experience employers are seeking, but, for some reason, there's sometimes an assumption that they're going to struggle more than someone who might be 20, which is often not the case. I think that that's a bit of an issue, and especially in Squamish. And I think that as the population continues to age, we're still gonna continue to see that, but I think it's important for employers to not overlook this pool of people who are ready, willing, and able and have stable housing and so on."
She said that staff at the centre spend time building the confidence and self-esteem of older workers so that these job seekers can better promote themselves and highlight their successes.
She noted sometimes there is an assumption by mature workers that they won't be wanted so that is a barrier to employment on their part as well, that has to be overcome.
With the rising cost of living, more people are needing — and some are wanting — to work beyond the traditional 65-year-old retirement age, Szewczyk said.
"The labour market itself also necessitates that we need to retain some of these workers a little bit longer too, because we don't have the volume to replace the ones that are retiring."
Millennials don't want to work, or do they?
Szewczyk said she doesn't see the stereotype of Millennials not wanting to work hard playing out in Squamish. They are educated and want to work hard but in different ways, she said.
"I wouldn't say that the younger generation doesn't want to work. I think they are very open and very progressive in what work is.”
Younger workers are looking for careers, but they also want some freedom to do what interests them outside of work. They want work-life balance. Thus, many are more interested in contract or gig-economy work, she said.
It is a shift in attitude and thinking that society is grappling with.
"How do we adapt to that? Because it's a massive change to the labour market, not just in Canada, but everywhere at this point,” she said.
There's help available
In addition to the many well-known services, such as its job board and job seeking or employer help, one of the services Work小蓝视频 offers, that isn't new, but some locals aren't aware of is the .
The program covers a part of employee wages so employers can hire job seekers and provide work opportunities. Both unemployed individuals and employers can participate.
This helps job seekers who either lack experience or may lack some education for a position.
"The employer will get some of the wages subsidized for a period of time, for example, six months, while that individual gets on-the-job training. And, typically, when that marriage happens, it's quite successful. So we've seen a lot of success with that over the pandemic, especially with the labour shortage. It's not a service that is new, but it's become more accessible and more known," Szewczyk said.
Work小蓝视频 also offers financial support for eligible individuals who are trying to start work.
"So, if somebody's starting work, and perhaps maybe needs a first-aid certificate and they don't have that, Work小蓝视频 can help them get that. We can help them with even transportation support or work clothing up until their first paycheck," she said.
For more on the services offered by the Work小蓝视频 Centre in Squamish,
