Fewer seasonal workers are knocking on doors in Dawson this year, say businesses

As tourists begin to trickle into Dawson City, Yukon, some businesses are still looking for workers. 

Geri Colbourne, assistant general manager of Dawson City's Downtown Hotel, says there are "help wanted" signs all over town. 

"We're noticing a real decline in people coming up here looking for work," she says. 

"In 2015, we had people coming in daily, looking for work at the hotel. Last year it was less — we had someone coming in maybe every week or two weeks looking for work," she says, "and this year so far I've had nobody coming in."

Colbourne says she does most of her hiring in the winter using job search websites, but she's still looking for housekeepers and front desk workers — jobs that start at $15 an hour.

Jackie Olson also found it more challenging than usual to hire the five staff required at her business, Peabody's Photo Parlour. 

"It was a bit tense there for a bit," she says.

Olson, executive director as of the Klondike Visitor's Association, which manages Diamond Tooth Gerties, says the gambling hall is also struggling to fill some summer positions. 

The cat's out of the bag

Both Olson and Colbourne think fewer seasonal workers are coming to Dawson because they've heard about the community's infamous housing shortage. 

The Downtown Hotel offers staff accommodation but Peabody's does not. 

"The message we got was that the accommodation was overly challenging for a lot of people who come up," says Olson. "People aren't willing to camp out in a tent."

She understands where they're coming from.

"Our climate's really changed over the last number of years and it's kind of depressing being in a tent when it's raining for about six weeks."

Olson says Dawson's new eight unit-apartment building is a start to addressing the housing issue, but says more accommodations are needed.