Tourism employers offered new tools to attract, retain talent

Checklists, self-assessments meant to 'help tourism sector recover'

Tourism employers offered new tools to attract, retain talent

Tourism HR Canada has launched a new campaign to fill talent gaps within the tourism industry.

With “Discover Tourism,” the organization is looking to connect people looking for tourism career information and employers looking to attract, train and retain top talent.

"The updated Discover Tourism brand and the new resources we've built are essential tools to help the tourism sector recover. It invites workers and businesses across the country to make the journey in tourism with us," says Philip Mondor, president and CEO of Tourism HR Canada.

Fifty-one per cent of employers are looking to bring on new staff members in the first six months of 2023, found a survey of 1,449 managers in October 2022.

Online resource

Discover Tourism is an online destination that provides interactive experiences to help future and current employees navigate their career journey in tourism. These include quizzes and career maps.

It also offers checklists and HR self-assessments for employers looking to improve their operations. 

The campaign also provides employers with a toolkit to share through their marketing and communication channels, including links to all job profile videos and visual elements. With these, they can highlight job openings, responsibilities and opportunities to those looking for a career in tourism.

“Discover Tourism is poised to be the hub for anyone looking to continue or start their career in tourism,” says Beth Potter, president and CEO of Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

“With international and local travel increasing, this is the perfect time to invest further in the tourism sector. And it's incredible how the industry has changed and how careers and opportunities have evolved.”

The project is funded by the federal government’s Tourism Relief Fund.

Fifty per cent of workers previously surveyed by Robert Half plan to look for a new job in 2023, and higher wages is the top driver for 62 per cent of those who said they want to leave their current employers.

Tourism will continue to expand and change in the coming years, with full recovery of tourism spending expected in 2024, according to Tourism HR Canada. This sector is a key employer for over two million Canadians, with one in 10 jobs across the country related to tourism in 2019.

However, Canadian tourism businesses are operating with more than 100,000 fewer workers than they were in 2019.