TORONTO — Restaurants Canada has partnered with Jones DesLauriers Belvins Insurance Group Inc. (JDB Group), a full-service provider of group benefits and retirement programs, technology-driven plan administration and disability management solutions. The JDB Group works with financial and HR leaders across Canada to build sustainable programs that attract and retain employees and manage escalating costs.
As found in Restaurants Canada’s latest Restaurant Outlook Survey: Q4 2022, tackling the labour shortage crisis will be among the top priorities for foodservice operators in 2023, with 61 per cent of respondents focusing on labour retention to avoid having to reduce operating hours to account for the lack of staff.
“Canada’s foodservice sector is a people-first industry that relies heavily on its dedicated employees. These individuals and the service they provide are what keeps the doors of restaurants open,” says Kelly Higginson, president and CEO of Restaurants Canada. “With the labour shortage that has challenged the industry for a number of years due primarily to a shift in demographics, along with a pause in immigration and lack of stability during the pandemic because of the lockdowns, we’ve now entered ‘The Great Retention.’ Our members have been seeking ways to invest in retaining the people they have, keeping them both motivated and engaged, along with offering them stability and security. Ensuring these businesses have a customizable employee benefits program at an affordable rate is a big piece of this, and we’re incredibly excited to make this feasible with The JDB Group.”
“We’re excited about the opportunity to support Restaurants Canada and their members,” says Robert Jones, CEO of The JDB Group. “Finding and retaining qualified staff is a huge challenge. We know that 37 per cent of employment recruiters consider health benefits to be a major factor in their candidates’ final decision. With less than a third of restaurant operators offering healthcare options, we see a major opportunity to swing the equation in their favour.”
