Tim Hortons' plans to expand and renovate in Calgary may be pro-business, but the moves are unlikely to significantly reduce youth unemployment, according to a Calgary expert.
Last week, the coffee chain announced it will add three new locations in Calgary and renovate 13 existing stores, as part of a national campaign that will see 80 new stores across the country and 400 existing locations renovated.
The renovations will include improved lighting and layout with Canadian themes woven through the design, a baked-goods showcase, upgraded kitchen equipment, and improved digital ordering and pickup services.
Three days later, the chain also launched a national campaign to focus on hiring local youth, with a promise to hire 10,000 new local employees across the country.
At the outset, it spells good news for university and high school students looking to complement their classes with a part-time job — but Audrey Farrier, a sessional instructor with the Haskayne School of Business, advises caution.
“The real challenge to me is the bridge between the development of the skill and the employment,” she said. “Students in trade and university programs are struggling to find employment that doesn’t require experience but will still be skill-building for them.”
She said she expects the new jobs will be filled not by youth nor by temporary foreign workers, but by new immigrants already working several jobs.
Managers Share Hiring Experiences
Managers at three different Tim Hortons locations across the city have varied opinions on how they hire new employees.
“Finding people with no experience isn’t hard, but finding people with Tim Hortons experience is,” said Navdeep Kaur, manager of the outlet at 10810 50 St. S.E.
She added that she’s looking to hire three people to work at her location. One person was hired Monday, and Kaur expects the remaining two vacancies will be filled later this week.
She said she receives two to five applications weekly at her store, mostly from people looking for short-term employment.
“We don’t take them in because it’s hard to train a person and then let them go,” she said.
While half of the employees at her store are students in their early 20s, she said applications for long-term employment generally come from older immigrants looking for stable income — “usually in their 40s just looking for stable pay,” she said.
Differences Between Employing Students and Foreign Workers
Ace Mallare, store assistant manager at 102-255 Sage Valley Common N.W., said the location is in need of two new employees, but doesn’t hire new employees often.
“We didn’t need any new employees during the winter, and now for the coming summer, just two,” he said. However, per week, the store receives anywhere between five to 10 applications, in person and through Indeed, an online job portal.
