Quebec hotels facing staff shortage ahead of busy summer season

Quebec hotels are struggling to find staff and asking the province to relax temporary foreign workers rules.

As Quebec gears up for another busy summer tourist season, hotels across the province are sounding the alarm over staffing shortages and calling on the provincial and federal governments to ease restrictions on temporary foreign workers.

Ritz-Carlton Montreal CEO Andrew Torriani says staffing challenges have persisted since the pandemic, with high turnover rates and a shrinking pool of qualified candidates.

“Before you could pick the best and now, you’re in a situation where you kind of pick who you can,” he said.

To fill the gap, hotels have increasingly relied on temporary foreign workers, but recent changes by the Quebec government have made that more difficult, a shift Torriani says could hit the industry hard.

“When you start to limit the visas in the tourism industry, we find it very hard to be able to maintain the level of service,” he said.

The Association Hôtellerie du Québec (AHQ) warns that if the rules are not relaxed, each hotel could face a shortfall of up to 10 workers this summer.

According to a survey conducted by the AHQ, in partnership with the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal and the Hotel Association of the Quebec City region, 91 per cent of hotel respondents are finding it difficult to recruit staff for the summer and fall seasons.

Nearly 70 per cent of respondents have more than 10 per cent of temporary foreign workers on their team.

“When the hotels and the tourism industry struggle, we’re affecting the economy indirectly,” said Torriani.

According to the news release, the hotel industry represents $3.5 billion in annual economic benefits for Quebec.

The AHQ is urging the provincial government to shorten processing times and simplify the renewal of work permits for foreign employees already established in the company.

“What we are asking for is not a favour, but a logical, realistic and responsible adjustment. These workers have already proven their worth. They know the codes, service standards, work tools and integrate brilliantly with local teams. Replacing them every year represents a waste of skills, pressure on managers and a setback for the customer experience,” said Véronyque Tremblay, CEO of AHQ.

In a statement to CTV News, the office of Quebec’s immigration minister said hiring foreign workers must a last resort.

“We are sensitive to the concerns and worries raised. However, there are too many non-permanent residents in Quebec, including temporary foreign workers (TFWs).

“Public services are stretched to the limit by this excessive number of foreign nationals, and housing is in short supply. Quebec has adopted measures to reduce the number of temporary workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). However, these measures apply only to the Montreal and Laval regions. Other regional measures have been imposed by the federal government.”