Businesses struggle to find workers in dash for oil and gas cash
Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Jan 15/01) - Most local businesses welcome the return of oil and gas exploration to the Delta, but some are at risk of losing qualified and committed workers to the boom.
"Out of every 10 (employees) I get here I probably get one good worker," said Denis Savoie, manager of To Go's Restaurant, "and that good person is probably getting a job in (an exploration) camp."
Savoie said he has hired southern residents who move to the North, but complained that "we get stuck with the garbage.
"They can't get anything down south so they come here," he said.
The restaurant manager said that some lie on their resume. Others have turned out to be alcoholics, drug addicts, or they don't show up for work.
Savoie has 10 employees right now, but is forced to cover for some on a regular basis when they don't show up for work.
"I have some staff I can count on but some staff you don't know when they're going to be here. One day they're good and another day they're drunk, so it is kind of tough."
Doug Robertson, retail manager of Northern Store, has had more luck with employees than Savoie. But for the past six months he said it's been quite difficult to keep all positions filled.
"We've managed but I can see it getting worse,"he said.
Traditionally, retail sector wages have been relatively low and Robertson said it's hard to compete with higher-paying oil and gas jobs.
Northern Store has remained full-staffed, but Robertson said management has been forced to work a little harder to keep it that way.
"It's normal to have a fairly high turnover rate in this business and you just have to keep working to fill the spots."
To Go's offers a starting wage of $10 per hour, while Northern Store pays an inexperienced cashier $7 per hour with a top rate ranging between $11 and $12. Northern Store workers can also benefit from employee share-ownership plans, life insurance, sick-pay plans and staff discounts.
Savoie said he believes the situation is hopeless and doesn't see a solution.
"It's hard to find workers who you can depend on and who are willing to work here ... I don't think anything can be done about that.
"The thing is the (exploration) camps and the oil rigs and all those guys pay more than we do so we can't compete against them."
Robertson said boosting employee wages is a solution the company is seriously considering to offset a loss of staff to the oil and gas industry.
