Tourism is a 'Fragmented' Market

Tom Zizys, left, presenter at the Snapshot of Employment in Tourism for Simcoe and Muskoka, speaks Wednesday with Susan Laycock, executive director of the Simcoe Muskoka Workforce Development Board, and Dan Landry, economic development manager with the City of Orillia.

More than 24,000 people in Simcoe County and Muskoka are employed in the tourism sector, accounting for 12% and 18.4% of total jobs, respectively - about double the provincial average.

Simcoe County and Muskoka have a large share of tourism visits, with 6.3 million and 2.3 million, respectively, in 2009, which is high in the province, given the population.

These and other interesting facts were presented by researcher Tom Zizys, of the Simcoe Muskoka Workforce Development Board (SMWDB), to a gathering of 43 participants at the seminar Snapshot of Employment in Tourism for Simcoe and Muskoka at the Best Western Mariposa Inn and Conference Centre in Orillia Wednesday afternoon.

Zizys said characteristics of the tourism labour force include a large proportion of entry-level jobs, part-time employment, jobs held by more women than men, seasonal jobs and lower wages.

"This suggests a high turnover, so there is an issue of recruitment and retention combined with the customers' ever-increasing demands for an 'experience' and quality staff," Zizys said.

He described the local tourism market as "a fragmented system."

"We need to get everyone together... and work out labour-market strategies," he said. "The goal of economic development should help bring groups together."

Data proving the local tourism sector is strong has Zizys "heartened" for the future of the industry.

His optimism is in spite of challenging issues such as the state of the global economy and an aging population that leaves fewer workers available for service jobs.

One of the strategies to help the industry is to retain employees by proving to them an entry-level, low-paying job can lead to a full-time, higher-paying career, Zizys said.

Organizers hailed Wednesday's event a success.

"We were delighted with the turnout," said Susan Laycock, executive director of the SMWDB.

The organization first gave a talk in Barrie last fall, which resulted in research ideas for the SMWDB. It has done its research, compiled stats and presented the 51-slide presentation to industry professionals.

"We are partnering with the RTOs (regional tourism organizations) to build up tourism overall," Laycock said.

Dan Landry, Orillia's economic development manager, attended both SMWDB seminars. He questioned a discrepancy between the two meetings - in Barrie, it was said local tourism pays more than tourism jobs in the Greater Toronto Area; at the Orillia meeting, it was said jobs are low-paying.

Zizys said pay is marginally more in Simcoe and Muskoka, whereas in Toronto, pay has flatlined.

A next step would be to hold another meeting and break down the larger group into smaller discussion groups to brainstorm solutions to the challenges faced in the industry, Landry said.

"What are the gaps and where are the opportunities?" Landry said of questions that need to be explored. "Do we need more hotels, convention centres or niche boutiques?"

Concerns gleaned from participants will become research and then data for the SMWDB's next public presentation to be held early in the summer. For more information, visit http://www.labourtrends.ca/.