Fast Facts

Total Tourism Sector Employment (2006)

There are 1.66 million people working in the total tourism sector. This is an increase of 9,600 since the 2005 Labour Force Survey.
Employment in the sector is projected to increase at an annual aggregated compound growth rate of 1.8% compared to 1.1% in the overall economy.
The tourism sector labour force is 52% women and 48% men. This is compared to the overall Canadian labour force which is 47% women and 53% men.
The tourism sector is aging at a similar pace to the Canadian labour force.
Although in the Canadian labour force there has been a decrease of 2 percentage points since the 1996 Census of the people whose English or French is their mother tongue, tourism only saw 1 percent decrease.
Overall, the Canadian labour force and the tourism sector have a similar proportion of people born inside Canada and those born outside Canada.
There has not been a lot of change in the level of schooling. 51% of the total tourism labour force has at least some post-secondary education compared to 61% of the Canadian labour force.
There has not been a lot of change in recent school attendance. It is interesting to note that 20% of the total tourism labour force attends school full-time, compared to 9% of the Canadian labour force.
The percentage of union member employees in the tourism sector is 11.5%, compared to 25% in the Canadian labour force.

Human Resource Module of the Tourism Satellite Account (2007)

Tourism industries accounted for 1.7 million jobs in 2007, about 10% of the 17.1 million jobs in the economy that year.
Among the five tourism industry groups (transportation, accommodation, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment, and travel services), food and beverage services was the largest employer, accounting for over half of all jobs in tourism.
About 525,000 jobs in the sector could be directly attributed to tourism demand. The remaining 1.1 million jobs were attributed to non-tourism demand, such as local spending on taxis, in restaurants, hotels and casinos.
The number of jobs in tourism industries increased 3.4% in 2007, outpacing the economy-wide job gains (+2.1%). Food and beverages services added 23,000 jobs, while recreation and entertainment and other transportation each added another 10,000.
Workers in tourism industries put in an average 29.8 hours per week in 2007, less than the Canadian average of 33.3 hours, reflecting the high proportion of part-time jobs in tourism. Hourly compensation in tourism in 2007 averaged $18.33 per hour, up 5.1% from 2006. This was slightly faster than the pace set economy-wide (+4.0%).
Three occupation groups dominated the sector, accounting for almost 40% of employee jobs. These were food counter attendants and kitchen helpers, food and beverage servers, and cooks.
Youth aged 15 to 24 held nearly 40% of all employee jobs in the tourism industries in 2007, twice their share in the economy overall, while women held 56%.
Immigrants were a significant source of labour for the sector, accounting for 22% of tourism employee jobs in 2007.

Tourism Labour Supply and Demand (2008)

The largest increase in potential labour demand will occur in the food and beverage services industry, which could support nearly 1.22 million full-year jobs by 2025, up from 908,340 full-year jobs in 2006.
Among the provinces, Alberta is expected to generate the highest potential rate of growth in labour demand, followed by Ontario and British Columbia.
Between 2006 and 2025, Alberta’s demand for tourism workers could rise from 193,308 jobs to 279,269 jobs, a potential increase of 45%. During that same period, potential labour demand is forecast to rise 35% in Ontario and 32% in British Columbia.
Among the metropolitan areas, Calgary is expected to generate the highest potential rate of growth in labour demand, followed by Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
Between 2006 and 2025, Calgary’s demand for tourism workers could rise from 71,720 jobs to 108,323 jobs, a potential increase of 51%. During that same period, potential labour demand is forecast to rise nearly 50% in Toronto, 49% in Edmonton, and 38% in Vancouver.
Overall, the tourism sector as a whole will experience a surplus in labour equivalent to 4,615 full-year jobs in 2009. However, market conditions are expected to turn around quickly, leading to significant labour shortages in the tourism sector over the medium and long term. In 2010, the potential labour shortage for the tourism sector is forecast to surpass 13,000 full-year jobs; by 2025, this figure could balloon to nearly 257,000 jobs.

Tourism Sector Compensation (2008)

For the common occupations among the various industry groups, accommodation and recreation and entertainment continue to be the two higher paying industry groups. The 2006 study showed the recreation and entertainment industry leading slightly in pay over the accommodation industry. The food and beverage services industry typically pays the lowest in both studies. Pay in the travel services industry is within the ranges of the other industries.
When comparing the compensation levels of union and non-union positions, the unionized employees are consistently paid higher. This is similar to the 2006 findings.
When comparing compensation levels with regard to employment status, the data show that full-time employees are in general paid higher than part-time staff. Seasonal positions do not show a prevalent pay pattern. This is the same as observed in the 2006 study.
The general manager position has a large variance in compensation mainly due to the size of the organization where the incumbent is employed. The base salary varies from $35,820 (10th percentile) to $116,000 (90th percentile). The total cash varies from $36,000 (10th percentile) to $136,274 (90th percentile). It should be noted that small business owners/operators in the role of the general manager who report receiving compensation are also included.
In addition to the general manager, the data indicate that the director of sales and marketing, head professional (golf), superintendent maintenance/groundskeeper, and executive chef make up the top five highest paid jobs in the study.
With respect to the frontline occupations, the data reveal that the sales representative is the highest paid job, followed by heavy equipment operator and outdoor adventure guide.
When assessing salaried compensation differences among provinces, the data show that most occupations in Alberta are the highest paid, followed by those in Ontario and British Columbia. The Atlantic provinces show the lowest pay trend in the study.
The majority (62%) of respondents have a gratuity splitting policy in place. Consistent with the 2006 study, it is more prevalent in the food and beverage services industry (69% with policy) and the accommodation industry (63% with policy). It is least common in the travel services industry (27% with policy).
Consistent with the 2006 study, “up to 49%” of base salary is the most common gratuity level reported across the occupations studied. Servers and bartenders are the positions reported most likely to have gratuities more than 200% of base salary.
The average bonus payouts are 16.1% of base salary for the executive/owner level and 6.4% for the supervisory/management staff.
Consistent with the 2006 results, flex time (52%) and shift work (48%) are among the most common work arrangements reported.

Demand for Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) in the Tourism Sector (2007)

In 2007, tourism employers received permission from Service Canada to fill approximately 18,500 temporary foreign worker positions.
Food and beverage services received over 60% of all approved TFW positions for tourism in 2007.
In 2007, Service Canada issued the majority of approved TFW positions in tourism to employers in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.
Tourism employers in regions outside of Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario received fewer than 10% of all TFW positions approved for the sector in 2007.
In 2007, Service Canada issued the largest share of approved TFW positions requiring on-the-job training to tourism operators in need of food counter attendants and kitchen helpers.
In 2007, Service Canada issued the majority of approved TFW positions for management occupations to tourism employers in need of restaurant and food service managers.

*Source: Demand for Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) in the Tourism Sector