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THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2022
Bend sees labor shortage as tourism heats up
By JONI AUDEN LAND
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Summers have rarely been busier for
Brian Sykes, who co-owns Ouzel Out-
fi tters, a whitewater rafting company in
Bend.
He has plenty of customers, but not
enough guides to lead them.
The problem started last summer,
as COVID-19 restrictions eased, spur-
ring interest in outdoor tourism. Sykes
found it diffi cult to fi nd qualifi ed guides
for his trips, especially those with the
experience to lead more advanced
routes.
“We weren’t geared up necessar-
ily to handle the amount of business,”
Sykes said. “We dealt with that simply
by limiting what we were able to off er.”
Sykes said some of his trips are sold
out for the rest of June and July, and
he’s not able to accommodate as many
customers as in years past.
Outdoor outfi tters, hotels and restau-
rants across Bend are struggling to fi nd
and retain employees in a region heav-
ily reliant on tourism to fund its local
economy. This means a reduction in
services and potentially longer wait
times for consumers.
For workers, the industry’s labor
crunch has led to higher wages, sign-
ing bonuses and other perks to lure
employees to a sector that typically
ranks among the lowest paying in the
nation.
One of central Oregon’s largest
employers, Mount Bachelor, has been
recruiting teens as young as 14 for
some positions, and throwing in winter
passes to ski and snowboard.
Sykes said he raised the starting pay
for his river guides by 20% and off ers
free training. While that has fi lled some
gaps, he remains understaff ed by sev-
eral positions, and there’s no guaran-
tee that the people he trains will stick
around for a full season.
For some businesses, the promise of
higher pay hasn’t been enough incen-
tive to off set the high cost of living in
Bend.
Jordan Lewis, a bartender at J-DUB
in the city’s downtown, said it’s hard to
survive on service industry wages.
“Bend is really expensive,” Lewis
said. “Most of us work off of minimum
wage and tips, and most of us at this
restaurant live with roommates.”
She said J-DUB needs more employ-
ees to manage the summer crowds, and
being short-staff ed is stressful.
“If there’s people wanting time off
throughout the summer, even if it’s just
a day or two, it can make things really
strenuous on the schedule and the staff
Joni Auden Land/Oregon Public Broadcasting
Bartender Jordan Lewis mixes drinks at J-DUB Bar in Bend. Her workplace, like others, has struggled to fi nd enough employees to meet the summer demand.
OUTDOOR OUTFITTERS, HOTELS AND
RESTAURANTS ACROSS BEND ARE STRUGGLING
TO FIND AND RETAIN EMPLOYEES IN A REGION
HEAVILY RELIANT ON TOURISM TO FUND ITS
LOCAL ECONOMY. THIS MEANS A REDUCTION
IN SERVICES AND POTENTIALLY LONGER
WAIT TIMES FOR CONSUMERS.
that we have,” Lewis said.
For the thousands of people expected
to visit central Oregon this summer,
fewer workers means longer wait times
for restaurants, and needing to book
tours and hotels months in advance,
according to state economist Damon
Runberg.
“We’re sort of on the leading edge
of some of the tough trends,” Runberg
said.
There were 11 million job openings
nationwide in April, a 22% increase
compared to last year, according to the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Bend’s labor problems are com-
pounded by being a tourist destination
with a severe lack of aff ordable hous-
ing. Wage gains are often off set by a
growing cost of living, Runberg said.
And tourism is critical not only to
many local businesses, but also to local
government services. Bend is expect-
ing to collect more than $14 million
in taxes on short-term lodging, a 40%
increase compared to 2019.
More than a third of the city’s lodg-
ing tax collections go toward market-
ing the region as a tourism destination
through a publicly funded agency, Visit
Bend.
The agency is in the process of hiring
a workforce development director who
will lead eff orts to grow the number of
central Oregon’s tourism workers.
One of the director’s main duties
will be going to local high schools and
community colleges, trying to generate
interest among young people in a career
in hospitality.
Visit Bend CEO Kevney Dugan said
private companies in the industry have
historically done little to lure prospec-
tive employees.
“I think this industry has done a
lackluster job recruiting people to see
this industry as a desirable place to
learn service skills,” Dugan said.
“This is not a short-term situation —
we have to be thinking long-term about
what, in fi ve to 10 years, our labor pool
looks like.”
Dugan said he does not expect imme-
diate relief this summer, but hopes that
eventually, businesses will reap the
benefi ts of a larger labor force.
In the meantime, he encouraged
visitors to be patient and consider-
ate toward employees, who are being
asked to cover more responsibilities
with less support.
“I can’t say ‘patience’ enough,”
Dugan said. “Be ready to bring your
best self in.”
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