Inns have to close, restaurants switch to self-service or shorten opening hours: there has been a huge staff shortage in the hospitality industry for months. Given the poor working conditions and meager income, the problem is self-made, the Labor Chamber claims – and this statement is now confirmed by a study.
In the summer, the Institute of Sociology of the University of Vienna questioned 32 catering employees and former employees on behalf of the Chamber of Labor (AK) Upper Austria about their opinion on the shortage of skilled workers in the catering and hotel industry. The conclusion that the AK draws from the investigation: it is the hosts’ own fault that hardly anyone wants to work for them.
“Sufficiently qualified personnel”
AK chairman Andreas Stangl quotes the striking statement of a waiter in the context of the investigation: “In Austria there are enough qualified personnel, you just have to pay them properly, then there will be no more whining because I can’t find anyone. Are you paying too little then no one will come.”
Hohe Dropout Quote
All in all, the study lists a whole list of industry misconduct that would put employees off: excessive working hours, disregard for labor laws, belittlement by supervisors, a lack of professional guidance, and the impression of being taken advantage of. These points would lead to a high dropout rate among students in the hospitality industry. Between 2018 and 2020, this was 51 percent for restaurant professionals and 40.7 percent for chefs. By comparison, the industry average is 27.5 percent.
“Offering Perspectives”
“The research shows the urgent need for strategies to provide employees with the prospect of staying in the industry,” says Stangl. The best way to attract and retain employees is to improve working conditions. “The restaurateurs and hoteliers who treat their employees properly and respectfully should be encouraged.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
