Well, have you already booked your summer vacation? Are you going to Rimini, to the island of Rhodes, to Istria – or back to the Balearic Islands? It is going to be beautiful! The only thing you should bring along is plenty of patience, and unfortunately all the money in the world can’t buy that.
Yes, a big suitcase full of patience, plus a travel bag with serenity, these are the most important items on the not-to-forget packing list for summer vacation 2023. Why?
Quite simply: There are hardly any people who want to serve us poor holidaymakers in need of relaxation in the restaurant, tidy our deluxe room or clean the toilets on the campsite.
Labor shortage, everywhere! Italy: Expects a record tourism summer, at the same time 40 percent of the positions are currently still vacant. Greece: Also expecting a record summer, but there are still 80,000 (out of 270,000) vacancies in the tourism sector. In Spain, 60,000 are missing, it should be particularly drastic in the Balearic Islands. The Croatians also complain that they lack employees. High alert in Austria anyway!
It seems as if the Corona monster has also swallowed the workforce
Yes, but where have they all gone? It almost seems as if the Corona monster has not only swallowed the health of millions, but also their willingness to work in the hospitality industry.
The Croatians say: Our specialists prefer to work in Austria because they earn more there. The Austrians say that the Slovaks prefer to stay in Slovakia and the Hungarians in Hungary instead of working with us. And the Austrians would rather only work part-time, in tourism it is difficult with the work-life balance.
Hm. It’s a bit reminiscent of the story that the cabaret artist and actor Josef Hader, alias Simon Brenner, tells in the film “Silentium” about the never-ending cycle of Leberkas and Knackwurst: The leftovers of the Leberkas were used to make the Knackwurst and the leftovers of the Knackwurst to Production of Leberkas and so on…
Only if there are no sausage ends and no Leberkas edges left, what should you make the stuff that holiday dreams are made of? There is a lack of waiters, receptionists, cleaning staff and cooks in all corners of Europe.
You can’t really blame them, because firstly, many of these jobs aren’t exactly well paid, and secondly, the working hours are often anything but regulated. And thirdly: Who would want to carry latte macchiatos to the terrace all Sunday while their family is swimming at the lake?
But instead of making the working conditions more attractive, people are looking elsewhere for willing people. The Italian tourism minister wants to lure pensioners and students by offering them tax exemptions. Tourism entrepreneurs want to give migrants quick training in order to plug the holes with them. But you would first have to give them a work permit. Spain is looking for skilled workers in Morocco, and Greece wants visa facilitation for Bangladesh, Egypt and India to recruit the missing staff there.
We will know whether these fire-fighting actions are successful in the summer on the terrace in Rhodes or Rimini when we have been waiting for the cappuccino for an hour. Very patient, very calm.