Island outfits ramp up hiring as B.C. restarts job sectors

Some bright spots are appearing on Vancouver Island’s job scene, with some entrepreneurs ramping up even though many sectors remain shut down.

Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress is hiring in Victoria and in Nanaimo, and Epicure in North Saanich is seeking 30 new employees.

An occupancy permit has just been granted for Dodd’s new 40,000-square-foot showroom in Nanaimo, where company vicepresident Love Dodd said they are looking at opening on May 20.

That store needs three sales people, he said Thursday. Sales people earn a salary plus commission.

In Victoria, the company is seeking two swampers, who do odd jobs, for its warehouse, and two experienced drivers.

Swampers start at $15 per hour, while drivers start at $17 per hour.

Dodd’s has stores in Victoria, Nanaimo and Campbell River and owns its buildings, which has been a help at a time when many businesses have been worried about paying rent to landlords.

Dodd’s shut its doors for a time, but reopened two weeks ago with part-time hours, allowing it to bring back some of its sales people. Two more return to work this weekend.

A lot of the business has been by appointment only, but in the past few days, “we are starting to see people trickle through the door,” Dodd said.

The store follows physical distancing guidelines, staff wear gloves and masks and some are available for customers, too. Signs are posted reminding everyone of health and safety protocols.

Thousands of workers are out of work in Canada as a result of the pandemic. The latest update on unemployment will be released Friday, when Statistics Canada issues its unemployment figures for April.

Those figures will reflect the first full month of the impact of the coronavirus.

Greater Victoria’s unemployment rate moved up to 4.6 per cent in March, from 3.4 per cent in February.

The B.C. government announced this week a phased plan to reopen many sectors.

At Epicure, the direct-sales company has seen orders increase to the point where it is aiming to hire 30 more workers on a temporary seasonal basis, to add to its existing workforce of 170.

Jobs are in the production area, where spices are blended and containers are filled, said Lori Pollock, senior administrator in human resources and program coordinator. Employees monitor the filling of jars, doing the job manually for some fine spices.

Epicure, which delivers across Canada and into the U.S., also needs people in its assembly area, where specialty boxes are put together, and in its distribution centre.

Orders have “exploded” as grocery shopping has become more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Epicure’s sellers have been staging cooking classes online, Pollock said.

She anticipates the seasonal jobs will last through the summer. The company’s busy season is between September and December, so there is further potential for employment.

Epicure has already hired some people who had been laid off, as well as high school and postsecondary students, Pollock said.

The company operates seven days a week and trains workers.

The starting wage is $15.25 per hour for daytime shifts, with an additional $1 per hour for evening work.

As a food service, Epicure is deemed to be essential, and introduced additional health and safety protocols early in the pandemic, including face masks, physical distancing and extra cleaning, Pollock said.

Canada’s job board for the Victoria area shows a wide range of jobs, including opportunities in the high-tech and food-services fields, as well as postings for health-care aides, social workers, construction workers and summer-camp workers.

To apply at Dodd’s, send an email to info@doddsfurniture.com To apply at Epicure, email amazingjobs@epicure.com or go to its website, epicure.com. Canada’s job bank is at jobbank.gc.ca