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La Voz de Andalucía

Almería's Hospitality Sector Seeks Foreign Staff Amid Waiter Shortage

Despite thousands of job seekers in the sector, businesses are turning to foreign workers and informal recruitment methods.

Generic image of a waiter serving drinks in a restaurant.
IA

Generic image of a waiter serving drinks in a restaurant.

The hospitality industry in the province of Almería is experiencing a notable shortage of waiters, prompting businesses to seek staff from abroad and utilize informal recruitment channels, even with thousands of local job seekers available.

The hospitality sector in Almería is facing a paradoxical situation: while businesses warn of a lack of waiters ahead of the summer season, the portals of the Andalusian Employment Service (SAE) and the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) show hardly any job offers for these positions. This contrasts with approximately 16,500 job seekers related to hospitality in the province, of whom between 3,000 and 4,000 could immediately join the labor market.
Given this reality, bars and restaurants in the province are adopting a trend already established in other sectors like agriculture and construction: workforces predominantly composed of foreign workers. A spokesperson for the employers' association has indicated that hiring employees from other countries has become common in the sector.
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"In reality, what we have today is few Spaniards working in hospitality."

a spokesperson for the employers' association
Employers acknowledge that, despite the high number of job seekers, they do not typically use the SAE as their primary recruitment channel. They argue that, although many people are sent, they do not always match the required professional profile. Furthermore, the bureaucratic procedures associated with the SAE often discourage employers.
To fill vacancies, businesses primarily resort to social media, word-of-mouth, and personal contacts, while temporary employment agencies are also not a common tool. This dynamic persists despite efforts by the regional administration to bridge the gap between labor supply and demand, encouraging businesses to use the SAE and unemployed individuals to update their profiles.
A specific working group for provincial hospitality has been established, involving the Employment Delegation, the SAE, business associations, trade unions, and specialized training centers. The goal is to facilitate a better connection between supply and demand before the peak tourist season. However, these efforts have not yet resulted in an increase in public waiter job offers.
A sector spokesperson has denied that the labor shortage is solely due to poor working conditions or low wages. According to the provincial agreement, a waiter's assistant earns approximately 1,450 euros per month with prorated payments, two weekly rest days, and eight-hour shifts. Nevertheless, the sector does acknowledge structural problems such as insufficient specialized training and high absenteeism, which significantly impacts small businesses.

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