The winter season is approaching and Tyrol tourism officials are concerned about the dire shortage of workers. There are currently approximately 2,000 open vacancies. At a meeting on Wednesday, tourism experts called on the future federal government to completely abolish or amend the quota system to ensure sufficient labor is available for the sector.
If the scheme is abolished, the positions will have to be filled by third-country nationals after a failed replacement procedure by the Public Employment Service (AMS), explained the chairman of the hotel sector at the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce, Franz Staggl.
“Time is running out”
For Anna Kurz, head of Tyrolean gastronomy, it is clear: “Time is of the essence. On many occasions the guests are already at the door. Whether the submitted requests are processed positively and employees can be deployed in guest service often remains up in the stars.”
‘Constant begging’ got us nowhere
“The constant begging has not brought us any further so far. The future federal government must finally address this vexing issue, which is essential for Tyrolean tourism, and provide pragmatic solutions,” Alois Rainer, chairman of the tourism department, said towards Vienna and demanded corresponding negotiation results.
Turquoise green distones
“It has been agreed within the federal government to coordinate the regulations and therefore the seasonal quotas. We are currently waiting for approval from the Greens to set the quota for 2025,” said Susanne Kraus-Winkler, State Secretary for Tourism.
An additional jibe came from Tyrolean ex-National Councilor and cable car boss Franz Hörl. With the seasonal quotas it is “a little more difficult this year”. Because the Greens would have to agree to this and they are “not particularly motivated at the moment”.
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.
