Cypress Mountain hiring on the spot to fill staff shortage

The booming business on Metro Vancouver's North Shore ski hills is leaving business operators desperate for staff, with at least one ski hill hiring staff on the spot.

Cypress Mountain says last season's poor season, coupled with this year's boom, has led to a shortage of employees, many of whom come from countries like Australia. 

"Last year we had a number of foreign workers that were coming over here that definitely didn't come back because they didn't have enough work — they moved on," said Joffrey Koeman, marketing director at Cypress.

To overcome the dearth of staffing, on the spot interviews are being held at Cypress daily and if the interviewee gets the job, they can start immediately, said Keoman.

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​Paul Zirk, owner of Destination Ski in North Vancouver, is also looking for workers for his gear shop. He doesn't have enough employees to keep up with the steady influx of customers, and says his stock is also running out.

"It's been really busy, yes. In a sales sense, it's been probably 25 per cent better than a normal good year," he said. 

Zirk said he plans to work extra hours himself to keep up with the pace.