Thanks in part to a low unemployment rate, help wanted signs can be found all over Boise, from fast food joints to department stores. And now Bogus Basin is adding to that crunch, looking for 500 workers for the season.
The ski resort outside of Boise already has some snow on its hills. That means it’s time for the annual job fair, when Bogus goes in search of everything from cooks, cashiers, rental shop operators, lift operators and ski and snowboard instructors, just to name a few.
Nate Shake is the Director of Mountain Operations at Bogus. He says hiring 500 people to keep the mountain running can be a challenge.
“It’s not easy, but I wouldn’t say we have a terrible time getting them filled,” says Shake.
But even with a statewide unemployment rate of 2.9 percent, Shake says he’ll be able to find workers.
“It’s easy for us to recruit based on who we are and the types of jobs that we have, a lot easier than a lot of ski areas, say, in a rural setting up in the mountains somewhere with no population,” Shake says.
He says they get a lot of students looking for a part-time job or people looking for a second job. And when it comes to competing with the Treasure Valley for cooks and cashiers, he’s got an ace in the hole. Everyone who works at Bogus gets a season pass and free transportation to the mountain.
“That’s the biggest draw, right? We’re looking for the ski and snowboard bums who want a free pass, want to spend their winter on the mountain, in their free time skiing and riding and some time out on the hill working,” says Shake.
Bogus will hold its job fair this Saturday in Boise.
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