The hospitality industry, which has been hit by the Corona crisis, is still looking for employees. Last year, according to a study for the Hans Böckler Foundation and the Food-Pleasure-Gastronomy Union (NGG), there were still around 100,000 fewer employees working in the hospitality industry than before the pandemic, when there were still over two million. Without better working conditions, it will not be possible to attract new staff, the study continues. In addition to better pay, predictable work processes are also important. The hospitality industry needs a restart, said NGG boss Guido Zeitler in Berlin. For trained staff, the wage should rise to 3,000 euros.
However, this will be difficult because the hospitality industry is considered a classic low-wage industry. Depending on the region, monthly wages currently range between a good 2,000 euros gross in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and a good 2,600 euros in Bavaria. In addition, almost half of the employees in the industry have more or less precarious employment: 48 percent work in a mini-job, only 52 percent are employed subject to social security contributions, as can be seen from the survey of more than 4,000 employees and works councils. However, it is often not the work itself that is the problem, but rather its organization: many waiters, cooks and temporary workers often have to step in at short notice beyond the agreed working hours.