After being upended by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns, tourism is still an integral part of Toronto’s economy. Every year, visitors from around the world flock to this renowned city to take in the culture, the shopping, and the history, among many other attractions. With this influx of visitors comes the need for an increase in seasonal staff at a variety of tourism-focused businesses.

While tourism numbers dropped significantly from 2020-2022, tourism operators are reporting a gradual return to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, Tourism Toronto reported there were 9.5 million overnight visitors, 18.1 million day visitors, $6.5 billion in visitor spending, and $10.3 billion in total economic impact for Toronto. Destination Toronto reports that while the city saw 8.95 million visitors in 2023, this is a marked increase from the 6.5 million visitors who came to Toronto in 2022.

Worth highlighting is the economic backdrop upon which the tourism industry rests.  Tourism Toronto reports an estimated 70,000 jobs are supported by visitor spending (both direct and indirect jobs). The number of people employed with jobs supported by visitor spending has increased by 10,000 over five years. Commonly, seasonal tourism jobs are based in the hospitality industry. This can include anything from hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, cafes, catering, and Airbnb’s. However, seasonal jobs can also be found in accounting, construction, and retail.

No doubt, there are benefits to hiring seasonally, from an increased talent pool, reducing costs. Despite this, there are significant hurdles employers face when hiring seasonal talent. The large recruitment and training process involved with hiring seasonally can be onerous. From paperwork, to finding talent and then onboarding, it’s imperative that HR personnel in the seasonal workforce upsmart, thereby improving systems, automating workflow, and upskilling staff.

There are various ways in which HR can upsmart their systems and improve workflow, including candidate sourcing on specialized platforms, managing candidate data, and pre-employment background checks.

A recent Ontario Chamber of Commerce report highlighted that 60% of businesses face challenges finding qualified workers, while another study revealed that 26.6% of businesses faced challenges in retaining employees. These challenges grow even more dire for those looking to hire seasonally each year.

While HR can use targeted platforms to attract specialized candidates and internal databases to manage candidate’s data, a pre-employment check remains one of the most effective tools to streamline the hiring process. Not only does this tool help to validate candidate’s it helps HR hire the best talent possible during the busiest time of year.

Triton offers pre-employment background checks that are ready in minutes, available online 24/7, and secure. They identify red flags and reduce risk, while verifying candidate information. They are accurate and reliable, providing an intuitive, comprehensive report. As well, Triton’s pre-employment background check is compliant with all national privacy and human rights legislation. Contact Triton for more information about how we can help upsmart your seasonal hiring process.