130,000 jobs are vacant in the French hotel and restaurant service
"French restaurants and hotels are struggling to find workers," writes RFI citing Le Parisien and a statement from the Professional Union of the Hospitality Industry (UMIH), whose representatives see the reason in difficult working conditions and the poor image of the relevant positions.
"Today people tend to think that if you do poorly at school, you will end up in the hotel and restaurant sector," complain at UMIH. "People are increasingly refusing difficult work, for example, the position of dishwasher," says Didier Chenet.
But it is not only that many people do not want to enter this sector, but also that it is booming in France, and accordingly, the demand for labor is increasing (with three-quarters of all positions in restaurants). Over 12 years, from 2005 to 2017, the number of jobs in the French hotel and restaurant business grew by 25%, reports the portal francetvinfo.
French media have repeatedly raised the issue of labor shortages in this industry. For example, TV channel France 3 in June reported that restaurateurs and hoteliers in the Aude department with a population of 365,000 lack 527 people for permanent contracts and almost 2,000 for temporary ones. In November, the publication La Depeche reported that in Toulouse, at one of the district offices of the Employment Service, a forum for hiring workers was held: representatives of Toulouse hotels and restaurants brought 150 vacancies to the event.
Under the current conditions, business "tycoons" see no other way out but to turn to migrants for help. But the problem is that in France it is very difficult for a foreigner to obtain a work permit (even if the employer wishes) – especially in the restaurant sector, which is considered so "French." At least, when it comes to official employment (which does not exclude numerous cases of working "under the table").
So on July 19, during a meeting of the Interministerial Council for Tourism, businessmen appealed to the government with a request to ease bureaucratic procedures and make obtaining work permits for foreigners simpler and faster. "We are ready to start. We have vacancies, we are ready to train workers. We are just waiting for the government to give documents to these people," says Didier Chenet about migrants.
In an interview with Le Parisien, he also tries to inspire potential dishwashers and doormen. "In our sector, social elevators work perfectly," says Chenet. "And it is not so rare to see people who started as waiters and ended up as managers of an establishment."
Meanwhile, the French Employment Service predicts that in the next five years, employment in the hotel and restaurant business will grow faster than in other sectors of the French economy.
"It is known that our country is the world's top tourist destination. In 2016, tourism brought France 34 billion 370 million euros," recalls the regional newspaper La Voix du Nord. "But this figure could be even higher if our restaurateurs and hotel owners could hire as many workers as they really need."