The shortage of lifeguards in outdoor pools is slowly being reduced. But at the dawn of the summer opening, nearly one in five swimming pools has not finished recruiting, says the Association of Aquatic Leaders of Quebec (ARAQ).
The repercussions of the pandemic are still being felt, said Raynald Hawkins, director general of the Quebec Lifesaving Society (SSQ). COVID-19 has been responsible for a decrease of more than 50% in the number of registrations for lifeguard training between 2019 and 2020. In addition, employers must hire more personnel than before.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Raynald Hawkins, Executive Director of the Lifesaving Society of Quebec
Young people no longer necessarily want to work evenings and weekends, more people have to be hired.
Raynald Hawkins, Executive Director of the Lifesaving Society of Quebec
There is still a shortage of between 2,000 and 3,000 aquatic lifeguards to meet the needs of the Quebec network (indoor pools, outdoor pools, beaches, aquatic centers and paddling pools).
More hiring incentives
Cities have pulled out all the stops to alleviate the shortage of lifeguards that hit Quebec in the summer of 2022 by introducing incentives such as salary increases and bonuses, as well as by organizing advertising campaigns in high schools. The City of Trois-Rivières, hard hit last year, will even give away two iPads among its staff in outdoor swimming pools.
In Montreal, despite the general labor shortage, “everything indicates that all services to the population will be offered [cet été] “, indicates Hugo Bourgoin of the media relations of the City, inviting in passing “all interested candidates to apply now”.
In Laval, 130 outdoor pool lifeguards were hired, while the city’s objective was 120. The situation is also under control in Sherbrooke, where all 70 positions have been filled, and in Longueuil, where 95% of lifeguards – necessary lifeguards are engaged.
The president of the ARAQ, Éric Hervieux, is optimistic.
All the indicators tell us that the situation will be back to normal at the end of the summer.
Éric Hervieux, President of the Association of Aquatic Leaders of Quebec
Older workers, particularly pre-retirees and retirees, who arrived on the pool benches in large numbers, greatly helped to reduce the shortage. These employees fill “unpossible shifts”, evenings and weekends, specifies Mr. Hervieux. It is therefore 82% of outdoor pools that have recruited the necessary staff to open at regular hours, a figure that satisfies both Éric Hervieux and Raynald Hawkins. In addition, half of the outdoor pools have exceeded the number of lifeguards required for full employment.
A successful relaunch
The Quebec government has also done its part to correct the situation. In June 2022, it announced $21.5 million in funding over 5 years to make lifeguard training free. This measure had the desired effect: training registrations increased by 50% compared to last year, according to information provided by Raynald Hawkins, general manager of the Quebec Lifesaving Society.
Previously, the cost of a training was around $1000. The minimum age to become a lifeguard has also been lowered from 17 to 16 to counter the labor shortage.
These measures allow employers to select the best candidates from a wider pool, according to Hawkins. In 2022, many of them did not have this luxury, having to hire every candidate.
The first outdoor pools were opened on June 9 in the Quebec region. They will go into service the weekend of June 17 in Montreal.