Banff, Canmore look to fill 2,000 jobs at spring hiring fairs

Hundreds of job seekers from as near as Calgary and as far as Australia flocked to Banff Thursday for the town's annual spring hiring fair.

"We had about 500 jobs on the table today, that's what employers were looking to fill," said Michel Dufresne, director of the Job Resource Centre in Banff. "There's another wave of more jobs coming up after that."

Dufresne said the town is hoping to fill a total of 2,000 jobs and about 400 job seekers showed up to Thursday's fair.

A lack of available housing has been an ongoing issue in Banff, butDufresnesaid that won't be an issue for most ofthese workers as large employers provide staff accommodations.

Forty-four per cent of jobs posted between August 2017 and January 2018 came with staff housing, and the average starting wage was $17.15 per hour, a report published by the Job Resource Centre found.

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"It's very challenging" to find people to fill jobs in the tourist town, according to Dufresne, who cited the mobile nature of applicants many of whom are studentsas one of the barriers.

"We're starting to see people coming for the summer to work, giving notice to leave at theend of August," he said.

The bulk of positions are in the hospitality sector and those interviewed Thursdaycould start as soon as Monday.

More jobs will be on the table at the Canmore spring hiring fair, which takes place on May 15 at Elevation Place.

With files from The Homestretch