A lack of workers jeopardizes a promising year for tourism

He A promising season is ahead for tourism. After three years of pandemic-related restrictions stifling business, 2023 is shaping up to be a definitive year of recovery. But all that glitters is not gold.

The sector continues to suffer from a serious shortage of staff. This decline has been a constant throughout 2022, and everything indicates that it will be the same during this season as well. There is a lack of cooks, waiters, receptionists, sports activity attendants… The list is long and the problem, it seems, will not be solved quickly. “Forecasts say that this year, both in summer and at Easter, there will be good occupancy. But it will be very complicated in terms of contracting”, summarizes Cesáreo Pardal, president of the Galician Tourism Cluster.

No one in the sector dares to reveal the details of the workers they need, but there are many businessmen who have been warning for some time that they cannot find people to fill the jobs that are crucial to the progress of their business: “It still attracts a lot of attention to us adds that with three and a half million unemployed people, we cannot find staff to work,” condemns Pardal.

Of course, it sticks to resilience that tourism has shown in recent years see the glass half full. “The sector will adapt to the situation and instead of eight hours, the restaurant still only has to work four hours, but it will endure.” Although, yes, he admits that there may not be “supply for that much demand.”

“If I can’t find waiters, I can’t provide the service I would like”

The manager of the central cafeteria of San Nicolás in A Coruña, Javier Álvarez, regrets that they have “difficulties with employment throughout the year”, but especially on the dates indicated, as they are for short or temporary stays. “When there are certain times when you need staff, either because of staff annual leave, due to accidents or times of high consumption, such as Easter, Carnival or summer, many people tell you that it is not worth working. There are people who have unemployment benefits and who think that it is not worth it to have a contract for a few days”, he explains.

“Sometimes in order to hire someone you have to pay them a lot more than what the contract says for those hours. So that doesn’t compensate us either, because even if the dates are specific, it’s not a guarantee that we’ll invoice more money. UA Coruña’s influx of people depends largely on the weather. If it rains, we may not have customers», details the hotelier who has three waiters in his establishment, which works from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. “When I have to strengthen the team and I can’t find him, on some occasions I can’t provide the service I would like. If all the tables are full, we will be slower”, complains Javier, who adds that this can harm them because some customers may not return. “The situation is, to say the least, delicate,” emphasizes Álvarez.

“I’ve been looking for a cook for a year”

Fran Lampón opened Casa Filiberto almost a year ago, in Carballeira de Santa Minia, in Brión, after working for other hoteliers. And he did it with two clear ideas. One was to create a market kitchen, and the second, “just as important, was to reconcile myself and my staff. Many weeks 40 hours are not done, but what I want and look for are people involved, with interest and training. There are still places with embarrassing hours, but we are not all the same.

He was looking for a chef for almost a year, and a little over a week ago he made another offer for him, but among the ten proposals he received, “one came from a person who worked in marketing, and he wants to try it; and another one who didn’t know anything about cooking, but wanted me to do a test ». The chef and owner of Casa Filiberto insists that “in the same way that people without training, at least in theory, don’t apply for a mechanic job; They can’t pretend to be chefs in a restaurant, people who don’t have any training. It’s not worth it if the tortilla at home turns out to be very rich.” Fran misses “a real interest in cooking. Some students of the institute passed, who combined their studies with a work contract, not as an internship, but as an assistant in the kitchen, but I see a lot of lack of interest. It gives the feeling that all they want to do is come cook and leave. There is little interest in learning. Talking to the teachers at the institute, they admit that there were few emotions for a few years. Of course, he is sure that “the best students, those who show interest, work”.