Why P.E.I. summer job seekers may need to be patient this year

Some seasonal employers on the Island are warning summer job seekers they'll need to be patient this year.

According to the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. (TIAPEI), while many businesses would normally have most of their staff hired by now, uncertainty around the season ahead is forcing them to hold off on hiring, or to make "pending offers" for now.

"I am getting lots of interest, but I can't guarantee anything to anybody yet," said Amy MacPherson, the owner of Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers in North Rustico.

"We certainly want to make sure our returning staff are getting as many hours as they can possibly get.… So the discussion [with others] is 'hold on, we're looking at resumés, and trying to figure out what we need. We just need more information from the government to make those decisions.'"

'I have lost a few potential people'

MacPherson's restaurant relies heavily on tourists and in a normal summer hires more than 100 staff.

It's reopening this summer after staying closed a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But she said with no date set for the reopening of the Atlantic bubble, and questions around capacity limits throughout the summer, it's impossible to know how busy they'll be and how many workers they'll need.

She's hoping they may get some answers when the province unveils its reopening plan Thursday.

"It's imperative we know sooner than later, so we can make those decisions," said MacPherson. "I have lost a few potential people because they've been offered full-time work at other places."

Corryn Clemence, the CEO of TIAPEI, said uncertainty around the federal wage subsidy is also making hiring a challenge.

The subsidy, which covers up to 75 per cent of wages for employers losing money due to the pandemic, will continue to be offered through the summer months.

However as it stands right now, the level of wage support will gradually decline.

Several groups, including TIAPEI, are lobbying the federal government to stop that decline from happening.

"The wage subsidy was really that backstop people needed to plan, and move forward comfortably," said Clemence.

'It's frustrating'

In the meantime, summer job hunters like Sydney Gaudet are left waiting to line something up.

Gaudet's in Grade 10 at Colonel Gray High School and has been handing out resumes for the past two months.

"It's more difficult with COVID, because they're hiring less people, and less young people," said Gaudet. "It's frustrating because this is the age where we're supposed to get our first job. And now it's very difficult."

"It's been a challenge for sure," added Lilli Green, a Grade 9 student at Queen Charlotte Intermediate. "There's only so much you can do to try to get a job this summer, especially at my age. It's not something that's easy."

MacPherson fears it may be young people like Gaudet that lose out this summer.

"Typically businesses like us … we hire a lot of first-time job seekers, and we love being part of that process for them," she said.

"That part looks very different for us too from a normal season. So I do feel bad for the young people."

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