Tourism companies launched an SOS just before the summer, warning of the shortage of personnel that they feared they would suffer in a key season for the recovery of the sector. The forecasts have come true, and at the peak of August, the lack of workers is obvious. To the point that, for the first time, hospitality businesses have been forced to reduce their offer –fewer days or hours open– because they cannot cover all the hours. They do not lack customers, but they do lack employees.
The usual vacationers of Pals beach (Costa Brava) were surprised this week to see that one of the most emblematic restaurants in the area, Solimar, closes one day a week when there is more demand. "It is that they do not have enough personnel to work from Monday to Sunday if they want to respect the rest shifts, as is the case," explain businessmen in the area.
Francesc Pintado, president of the Association of Hospitality Employers of Tarragona, defines the situation as "constant suffering". "The season has been very good in terms of demand and billing, but we are facing a daily lack of staff and many difficulties in completing the squads." They see restaurants that have reduced services, hotels that have not opened all the rooms or points of sale because they lack people to serve them in quality conditions... "The situation is critical," he says.
Cambrils beach on Thursday morning, on the Costa Daurada, reflects this flood of tourists who have come to the coast to enjoy a summer like before the pandemic. Umbrellas abound on the sand, and businesses are packed. At El Pòsit restaurant they even have diners queuing at the door, waiting for them to open at noon. “We do not lack clientele”, explains Àngel Pérez, owner of the establishment, one of the most popular in Cambrils and winner of several awards. For the first time, he has had to reduce tables in a timely manner – “just one day” – due to lack of staff to preserve the quality of the service. “70% of the workforce is stable, they are people who have been with us for a long time; but the rest are reinforcements for the summer season, and this is where the problem is concentrated”, underlines Pérez.
The situation that he has experienced coincides with that explained by many other consulted businesses: people who start working but who disappear after three or four days or who ask to "charge a part in black" and, therefore, they cannot be hired . Pérez has even published his salary tables on the restaurant's website, with salaries for a waiter of between 1,700 and 1,800 euros gross per month and two days off per week. “I thought it would be a competitive advantage, but it hasn't been like that; we do not pay in black, we try to do things well, we have implemented an equality plan, we respect shifts... but even so, it is difficult to find employees with experience, ”he adds.
In the office of the Unió d'Empresaris d'Hostaleria i Turisme de Costa Brava, the processing of registrations and cancellations in Social Security is constant. “It is not a normal summer, we have never faced such a high staff turnover; reinforcement workers arrive and leave at full speed from hotels and restaurants”, explains Judit Lloberol, manager of the entity. This forces businesses to constantly train part of their employees from scratch, without time to provide stability. There has also been a wage war in places with the highest demand for workers. “You make someone a contract and after three days they say that they are going to the business next door because they are paid 50 euros more, even if it is in black”, laments a businessman in the sector.
In general, the average salary is rising because workers without any previous experience in the hospitality industry are being paid as room assistants. Joan Carles Sánchez, with businesses in Calella de Palafrugell, Pals and Torroella de Montgrí, says that this year he pays as a waiter's assistant (about 1,500 euros gross) to people who have not worked before. “If not, they won't even come,” he explains. In his case, he has also adjusted the capacity of the restaurants to the number of employees available depending on the day. “We are making an effort to maintain the quality of the service, even if it is at the cost of billing less; with relatives, constantly looking for workers, improving conditions...”, he points out. Many employers have also resorted for the first time in the summer to employee search companies or ETT. "I hadn't needed it before, but now we are registered with six personnel companies," says Àngel Pérez.
The hotel sector has even launched its own online job bank, a kind of Infojobs, to try to attract staff, explains Jorge Marichal, president of the Cehat employers' association. They have translated it into Ukrainian in an attempt to attract refugees seeking employment in Spain.
“It is time to dignify the sector if we want quality tourism”, they all agree. This implies better training, schedules and salaries. And also the awareness of customers that perhaps the time for cheap vacations is over. Being treated well on a Sunday at noon, they insist, "has a price."
