An employment agency for cooks and waiters, which has large clients such as Ikea, the Caisse de depot and Molson Coors, is irritated by the explosion in undeclared work.
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“We have the feeling 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 recruitment agency in the hotel, restaurant and tourism industry.
“A lot of people have told us they want to work on the black market, but we’ve always refused,” he continues.
“It hurt us”
His agency is trusted by big names in Quebec Inc. The operator of the Chartwell retirement home and Compass Group (catering) are calling him today.
“It hurt us for several years. There are still some agencies that claim to hire ‘self-employed people,'” he denounces.
When a candidate asks to be treated “like a self-employed person,” to them that rhymes with undeclared work. Daniel Bérubé prefers to hire employees and pay social security contributions to avoid breakdowns.
“People try to pay as little tax as possible, so being self-employed they bypass pension insurance and unemployment insurance,” he says.
New certificate
Fortunately, according to Daniel Bérubé, the new certification required by the Quebec government thwarts some agencies that have taken the wrong path in twisting the tax rules.
“The more reviews by the Commission on Standards, Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) concern social leave, the fewer agencies of this type exist in the economy,” he concludes.
— With Marie-Christine Trottier
►As of January 1, 2020, a new government regulation imposes new obligations on recruitment agencies.
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