The hotel industry is “desperate” due to the lack of workers to supplement the staff.

With write in the cornerexpected to be a record after The restrictions brought by the epidemic With covid over the past two years, the Asturian hotel industry – indeed, that of Spain in general – is helpless because can’t find staff to strengthen their templates. No one to hire. Reason? An explosive cocktail on its way to becoming a national problem, epitomized by the lack of vocation and interest in working in an industry that has historically been famous for its endless hours and extremely low salaries.

Second, after the pandemic, “Overall, values ​​have changed, people prefer to be more at home, family, teleworking and looking for more compromise”something that is impossible if it is dedicated to the hospitality industry. this is what he confessed José Luis Álvarez Almeida, president of the Otea employers association in AsturiasAdding another factor: the flight of foreigners, who traditionally provided a large number of employment in the sector, but lost their jobs due to the epidemic and returned to their countries.

However, the leader warns: “Eyes are always on the hospitality industry, but the problem is general to many sectors, not just this sector. We offer jobs, employment. If there are no applicants or no one to hire, the problem is in the system, it is in the management that has to look at what is happening and take action” .

Almeida also points out that “there are always problems” in completing squads during the summer, and he thinks the 2022 Asturian season will be like any other season: “Here, in July and August, there is no room for more in recent years. People. We have to accept that. The problem is that, If the flow of customers was regular, we could have stable staff throughout the year, but our specialty is that outside of these dates there are very few customers and we have to adapt”.

Beyond the shortage of staff, there is another problem: declining qualifications. “We can currently get ten to fifteen resumes a month, but most come from young people with no experience,” he says. Félix López, manager of Mayca cafe in Gijón. Christian Valle, owner of the Nueva Uría cider houseconcludes: “The senior and well-paid professional doesn’t move from his bar.”

Empowering staff for the summer is uphill. “In our case we have a staff of seven that are closed throughout the year and do not recruit during the summer months. But that doesn’t mean people don’t come looking for work. There are about 50 CVs accumulated in the office,” he explains. Max Ndiaye, manager of Max de El Llano brewery for six years. Félix López also shares this view, because in his view there are “no difficulties in hiring”, but “there are difficulties in recruiting qualified personnel who can handle the peak hours that occur in July and August without any problems. I think there is little or no desire to work in the hospitality industry, so they suffer when managing certain situations,” concludes the hotelier.

Regarding job insecurity in the industry, López affirms that “this is a reality that exists in many places”. This fact is also confirmed by hotelier Christian Valle, who assures us that “there are a lot of stray pirates who employ waiters for twelve hours for a thousand euros and pay half the price”. But the “industry bad reputation” has made summer job seekers reluctant to break into catering businesses to earn extra money, according to Valle: “Many go into the construction industry.”

All visitor statistics are far exceeded in Avilés and businessmen are preparing for a strong summer season. “But there are no professionals,” they complain. Justo Garcia, owner of the company restaurant Yumay, He doesn’t hide that he is “hopeless”. His problem is not limited to his inability to find a waiter, but rather that he has had to retire some of his staff and has not found relief for generations. “There were people who moved throughout the year before, but the pandemic came and the hotel industry suffered a lot. They either looked for work in another industry or stayed with help or I don’t know. Thing is, it doesn’t.”

“You don’t win like you used to anymore” because “everything stops a lot every week, everything gets busy on weekends and rush hour, very little movement for the rest of the day”. And also, “tips, which used to be an important extra, are gone.” According to her, “the job of a waitress is a basic and little-known profession, and no matter how hard you work, you may find that you are not paid enough but not paid as before, which complicates things.”

Pilar Meana is the owner of La Cantina de Villalegre. and it also suffers. “This is not seen as a profession, but also has many professions. Seems more like a last resort business. There are a few good professionals and those that are available have jobs and are well paid, so they are invaluable,” he explains. There is an additional circumstance, in his view, and that “a waiter’s job is of little value when it is of the utmost importance”.

opening restrictions

They support the idea of ​​a lack of professionals specializing in hospitality in mining basins. It is a fact, many businessmen experience it,” says Langrean Javier Fernández, owner of several organizations in the Nalon Valley and president of Otea in Langreo. “There are people who cannot open all their dependencies because there is no staff. Or condensing schedules, closing more time to be open when there are more sales”. Fernández thinks this is not unique to the hotel industry: “It happens in other industries, in metal, in construction.”

Do you work hard in the industry and earn less? “As with all. A well-trained waiter gets a good salary, he earns well. Another thing are plate bearers. But a good waiter or a good cook wins because they’re appreciated.”

Fernández also said that “he may not be politically correct, but it seems to me that there are a lot of ‘fixed’ people. I explain. Because of the difference between the salary of a job and the social salary, because there are those who are not interested in working, not only in the hotel industry, if they do not want to have a good career, take pride in the work they do. they do. This is something that needs to be fixed.”

Much the same in the Asturian capital: “everything is flying around and young blood is needed” for the summer. The holiday season is approaching and with it the demand for food is increasing; However, there are not enough waiters to afford it. “The more people try to have fun, the more we have to put our shoulders on the wheel to fit in,” he explains. Pedro Caramés, president of Gascona street hoteliers. They explain that Sidra Boulevard suffers from this staff shortage, and it’s due to two phenomena: the job boom in the coastal area, which is more appealing to potential waiters, and the lack of young people. “There are no kids who want to learn and get started,” she says. Juan Cuesta, director of the Llar of the Cathedral.

“Previously, getting the card at 18 was very important, now it’s become an unnecessary expense,” says Caramés. Even so, they explain that this is something that can be predicted to other trades, as the suppliers of these businesses are going through the same drought. “I think the labor law reform, the terrace arrangements, the post-Covid situation has affected…” he says. Casto Fano of the Historic District Hoteliers Associationrefers to the fact that organizations themselves are aware of everything that happens.