Good news: shortage of hospitality staff seems to be resolving

Hospitality entrepreneurs are complaining bitterly that they cannot find staff. According to ABN AMRO, the tide is turning; they predict that more and more people will want to work in hospitality in the coming months. Good news, but Koninklijke Horeca remains skeptical.

The staff shortage in hospitality is alarming. During the lockdown, temporary workers found other side jobs, but trained hospitality staff also had no desire to sit at home and looked for something else. Now that the hospitality industry has reopened, that is becoming a problem. Some restaurants are closing for extra days because they cannot find staff, or they are paying top dollar to hospitality temp agencies. 

More people in hospitality

Analyses by ABN AMRO show that more and more people are working in hospitality. Logical, you might say: the season has begun, so more people are appearing on hospitality businesses’ payrolls. But the bank sees other reasons for the positive staffing figures in hospitality as well. For example, the well-paid work at the GGD is coming to an end, where many hospitality employees fled when the hospitality industry was closed due to coronavirus measures. Less work at the GGD, while their former employer has opened its doors again and put the terrace back outside: there is a good chance they will choose their old job again.

Better pay

Second reason: the collective-agreement wages in hospitality have increased. They have risen by more than three percent, so salaries are going up slightly. Another reason for people to consider hospitality when looking for work. And the third reason why the labor market is improving somewhat: a number of hospitality businesses are going bankrupt because the support measures are ending. As a result, experienced hospitality staff are out of work—but probably not for long, because competitors will welcome them like a long-lost son or daughter.

Tying on an apron

Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN), the hospitality industry’s interest group, does not share ABN AMRO’s optimism. It fears that the 100,000 people who have left hospitality will not simply return. People have found other work, for example as parcel couriers or in healthcare. They have by now become accustomed to the working hours of their new jobs, so there is little chance they will tie on an apron or pick up a serving tray again. In fact, according to KHN, the shortage will only increase in the coming period.

Read also:

• What expats and tourists think of Dutch table service
• 12 completely insane requests made of hospitality staff
• Let’s think deeply for a moment: why is it so difficult to find hospitality staff?

Source: Misset Horeca