An employment agency for cooks and waiters, which has large clients such as Ikea, the Caisse de depot and Molson Coors, says it is irritated by the explosion of moonlighting.
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“We feel that there is undeclared work. Before the pandemic, it was very rare that I was asked to be paid in cash, ”reveals Daniel Bérubé, founding president of Productions DBBG, a staff placement agency in the hotel, restaurant and tourism industry.
“A lot of people told us that they wanted to work on the black market, but we always refused,” he continues.
“It hurt us”
His agency has the confidence of big names in Quebec inc. The Chartwell seniors’ residence operator and the Compass Group (food services) are calling on him today.
“It hurt us for several years. There are still some agencies that claim to hire “self-employed workers”, ”he denounces.
For him, when a candidate asks to be treated “like a self-employed worker”, it rhymes with moonlighting. Daniel Bérubé prefers to hire employees and pay social charges to avoid glitches.
“People try to pay as little tax as possible, so by being self-employed, they avoid the Pension Plan and employment insurance,” he says.
New certificate
According to Daniel Bérubé, the new certificate required by the Government of Quebec fortunately puts a spoke in the wheels of certain agencies which had taken the wrong turn of twisting the tax rules.
“The more there will be verifications concerning social leave from the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST), the less there will be of this type of agency in business” , he concludes.
— With Marie-Christine Trottier
►Since January 1, 2020, a new government regulation imposes new obligations on personnel placement agencies.