A sizzling job market. High housing costs. Changing social norms. An aging society. These are just some of the larger realities that currently confront local employers in the low-to-medium wage sector such as fast food.

Catherine Holt, chief executive officer of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, knows their struggle well. Businesses across the region are struggling to fill minimum wage jobs, she said.

B次元官网网址淚f you are in tight job market, itB次元官网网址檚 difficult to attract interest in minimum wage jobs,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hat is an economic reality. People have other options.B次元官网网址�

Indeed they do.

Several larger trends account for this development, said Holt. They include the areaB次元官网网址檚 booming real estate and construction industry. B次元官网网址淪o when you have this magnitude of construction, it sucks in a lot of available labour,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e have maxed out on available workers in the construction industry.B次元官网网址�

Record tourism numbers have also contributed to the low unemployment rate by boosting all types of businesses that depend on tourism traffic, such as restaurants and retail, Holt said.

This reality has intensified local competition for jobs at the lower end of the wage scale, where most employers already offer more than the current minimum wage of $10.85 per hour.

Consider the Tim Hortons location in Saanich Plaza. The high-profile location across from Uptown shopping centre draws a steady crowd of customers throughout the week. But last month the store had to cut back on opening hours, because it lacked staff.

B次元官网网址淲e are not getting enough locals [applying for jobs],B次元官网网址� said the storeB次元官网网址檚 manager Tom, who did not want to give his last name.

To help fill labour needs, the store has been looking to hire exchange students, he said, adding everybody in his industry finds themselves in the same boat. The tight local labour market has also made the hiring process less selective, he added.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 hiring people who are applying,B次元官网网址� he said.

Holt said she understands business owners have cut back on operational hours, because they lack staff.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a desirable decision, but what option does that owner have?B次元官网网址� she said. While owners facing labour shortages could raise wages, they run the risk of alienating customers, who themselves might be financially squeezed.

This reality in turn points to one of the central problems confronting all of Victoria: its high cost of living, with the high cost of housing being the primary driver.

B次元官网网址淭hat [housing] is a factor with any minimum wage job,B次元官网网址� said Holt. B次元官网网址淭he higher your rents go, the less attractive low-wage employment becomes.B次元官网网址�

In the past, average salaries would allow individuals to afford average accommodations, said Holt. Those days are gone, she said. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing is considered to be affordable when households spend less than 30 per cent of their respective income on housing.

Accordingly, workers who earn $45,000 a year would have to spend no more than $13,500 a year B次元官网网址� or $1,125 a month B次元官网网址� on housing to live affordably. Current average rental rates have already approached or exceeded that monthly figure, according to published information.

In short, living in the Greater Victoria region off minimum wage is very difficult, if not impossible, said Holt. Even teenagers, who have traditionally filled low-paying entry jobs, find them increasingly inadequate to help pay for their lifestyles.

Other factors might also becoming into play. Research from the United States has found that a growing number of teenagers are spending their time hitting the books instead of flipping burgers during the summer.

Finally, all employers confront the reality of an aging society, where fewer young people, will have more choices.

So what is to be done? Writing in the chamberB次元官网网址檚 newsletter, said current B次元官网网址渞ecruitment challengesB次元官网网址� require employers to be B次元官网网址渃reative and use a multifaceted approach to attract and keep the employees they need to operate an efficient business and meet their customersB次元官网网址� expectations.B次元官网网址�

They include targeting what Willow calls B次元官网网址渁lternative labour poolsB次元官网网址� like mature workers, immigrants and youth, including persons with disabilities.

For each group, employers must B次元官网网址渃ustomizeB次元官网网址� engagement, she said. While mature workers are more likely to look for job postings in traditional media, todayB次元官网网址檚 youth B次元官网网址渁lmost solely engage and communicate on their mobile devices.B次元官网网址� Notably, McDonaldB次元官网网址檚 recently used Snapchat to help hire more than 250,000 workers in the United States.

Willow also emphasizes retention. B次元官网网址淚t is much easier to keep the employees you have than to try to find new ones,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淓nsuring that you have best practices in place and being an employer of choice will give you the advantage over other employers vying for the same person.B次元官网网址�

Notably, she argues that being an employer of choice goes beyond compensation and general benefits. B次元官网网址淚t includes opportunities for professional growth and development, training and career advancement.B次元官网网址�