Hornby Island Employment

Staffing shortages are an issue all year for businesses on Hornby, but this is exacerbated in the summer. These numbers show part of the problem, but not all of it. Some of the businesses we did not hear back from have chronic issues finding staff in the summer.

The reasons proposed for this difficulty are varied. A common one is a limited pool of workers on the island. Some potential reasons for this are thought to be a lack of housing, especially year-round housing, the cost of living being higher than the wages businesses are able to pay, people wanting year-round work, and reports of potential staff requesting to be paid under the table to maintain benefits they’re receiving.

These numbers are for the businesses listed online and in the phone book, but we are aware there are many types of businesses that don’t operate that way. We know gardening/landscaping, house cleaning, and odd jobs/handy people are all areas that are unlikely to be listed.

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