Lack of manpower, shops closed their doors in the high season

In Saguenay, many businesses have decided to close during construction holidays, despite the tourist traffic. The labor shortage is once again in question.

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These two weeks will allow employees to rest, but also for some companies to make up for the backlog due to staff shortages.

Justin Maltais Photo owner Jean Maltais explained, “In April, I found myself almost alone when I usually had five production employees.”

Its only longtime employee is 77 years old, and the person who can take the reins of the company, which was founded in the 1960s, is already working more than 12 hours a day.

“She is ready, but she needs support going forward,” said Mr. Maltese. I’m willing to give a few more years, but you never know what could happen.

This is the first time he has had to shut down his company during construction holidays.

“We are close to clients, but we keep working to complete contracts that should have already been completed. We have to catch up. It certainly creates dissatisfaction in situations like this, but in general, clients understand because they often encounter The same.

Many restaurants have also taken the decision to close during the holidays.

These closures are generally welcomed, but cause disappointment for some tourists.

“It’s already been 3 or 4 times we have to turn because restaurants are closed since the beginning of our vacation,” one of them said.

The employees of these companies are satisfied. This is the case of Marc-Andre Tremblay.

The person who works as a chef at Resto Roberto in Chicoutimi did not plan to take a vacation, but intends to take advantage of it.

“I’m so used to working nonstop that I thought I’d find a job somewhere else for two weeks, but eventually I’m taking time off,” he explained.

Closure is not an option according to the chef, but a necessity.

“We are not machines,” said Mr. Tremblay, who believes the trend is here to stay.

The restaurateurs who made the decision to close last summer during the holidays also opted to repeat the experiment in 2022.