The tourism and hospitality sector in Alberta was a major hit during and post Covid. A lot of businesses were closed and jobs were lost. Now the government wants to double the contribution of the tourism industry by the next decade in Alberta’s economy.
In order to boost the tourism industry the government has come up with a new dedicated program especially for the tourism industry to fulfill the labor shortage in the industry. This program will help the industry with its long-standing labor shortage needs. but some say it has unintended consequences too.
The national tourism industry group considers it as positive news and hopes this will revive the sector. The new immigration program will target temporary foreign workers who wish to stay in Canada and already working in this sector. All other provinces have their own immigration programs targeting the labor shortage needs. At this time when all other provinces are targeting Healthcare, Tech, and Construction. Albert opens a new program for the Tourism and Hospitality sector is good news for all immigrants.
How does this work?
This new program falls under the Alberta Provincial nominee program which nominates people for permanent residency in Alberta. Temporary foreign workers will be eligible under this stream if they are working in this stream and have past experience in the same occupation. 6 months of job experience and an offer letter from the approved employer will help you in the PR pathway.
Businesses in the Food are already allowed to hire foreign workers after the federal government tripled the intake cap recently. Now the workers have a clear path to stay in the province.
Alberta is majorly known for its oil industry and attracting people in tourism is a great challenge because of the higher wages in other sectors.
Alberta gave 9750 nominations last year under the provincial nominee program and expects to give up 10 percent for this program. This new program will kick off on 1 March and the government wants to measure the success of the program before making it a permanent program.
According to the statement by the Alberta Ministry of Immigration and Multicultural, the new tourism program will target 18 jobs:
Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport, and fitness. The median wage, according to the Statistics Canada Job Bank, is $19.23.
Restaurant and food service managers. Median wage $26.44.
Accommodation service managers. Median wage $34.67.
Food service supervisors. Median wage $18.
Chefs. Median wage $19.
Cooks. Median wage $17.
Maitres d’hotel and hosts/hostesses. Median wage $15.
Bartenders. Median wage $17.50.
Hotel front desk clerks. Median wage $17.
Tour and travel guides. Median wage $18.
Outdoor sports and recreational guides. Median wage $18.50.
Food and beverage servers. Median wage $17.
Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, and related support occupations. Median wage $15.
Support occupations in accommodation, travel, and facilities setup services. Median wage $17.
Light-duty cleaners. Median wage $18.
Specialized cleaners. Median wage $18.
Janitors, caretakers, and heavy-duty cleaners. Median wage $21.
Dry cleaning, laundry, and related occupations. Median wage $16.50.