Shortage of skilled workers in the hospitality industry is a "blatant catastrophe"
Created: 05/13/2022, 06:30
By: Felicitas Bogner
Uschi Guggenbichler (right) from the "Klosterschänke" in Dietramszell also lends a hand in service, but she and waitress Meli Hurler still need support.
©SH
Hoteliers and restaurateurs in the district are currently fighting for employees.
Because a lot of staff migrated to other industries during the lockdown and stayed there.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen –
Like almost no other industry, gastronomy and the hotel industry were hit hard by Corona.
After the restrictions have been lifted, the guests are coming back, but the companies now have to master many challenges at the same time, such as rising food and energy prices and a shortage of skilled workers.
The latter is a major burden for the restaurants and hotels in the district. Many service and kitchen staff have reoriented themselves.
Many now work in test centers
"That's a huge problem for us," blurts out Ursula Guggenbichler from the "Klosterschänke Dietramszell".
"An unbelievable amount of staff has migrated to the test centers." Tips, which are quite lucrative in gastronomy, are no longer a lure.
“Many test centers pay more than 15 euros an hour, so that quickly puts it into perspective.
On top of that, it is more convenient to do corona tests than to serve them.” Guggenbichler is now faced with a mammoth task: “When the weather is good, the booth is full and I have to find ad hoc employees.” To do this, she pulls out all the stops: “We have social ones Media appeals, put up a notice in the restaurant, advertised in newspapers and try to acquire people through our staff," reports the landlady.
Now she has to do the waitressing herself.
In the kitchen, on the other hand, she "fortunately" has no staffing problems.
"We don't work with temporary workers and were able to keep everyone by increasing the short-time work allowance."
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen: Restaurateurs and hoteliers are desperately looking for staff
Rafal Dzygalo, managing director of the hotel and restaurant "Karwendelblick" on Lake Walchensee, describes the situation as a "blatant disaster".
"A year ago there were at least a few inquiries, but now nobody is interested in jobs in hotels or restaurants," he notes.
Before Corona, he never had any worries in this regard.
"I've been doing this here for eleven years." He is still in contact with many former employees.
"They have migrated to a wide variety of industries, one is working as a hairdresser again, another now has a chicken farm." The hotelier is currently actively addressing people in the hope of getting more staff for his business.
"I've even looked for people in my home country of Poland," explains Dzygalo.
He assumes that the uncertainties caused by the pandemic in combination with the unattractive working hours are to blame for the misery.
“Few want to work weekends and evenings.
The situation in the restaurant is therefore worse than in the hotel.” The main problem for him is the kitchen.
"There are no more professionals at all.
Finding a good chef is insanely difficult.”
Now he has a new idea: “I would offer Ukrainian refugees work here.
I know that many are interested.” But the official process has been very complicated so far.
"I don't know if and if and how that will work." Dzygalo would also be willing to give someone a permanent position.
Until then, he has to tackle it himself.
"I work in service, my wife makes breakfast next to the reception."
Many tackle it themselves and receive support from their families
Franz Holzheu, the innkeeper at the Wolfratshauser Gasthof zum Löwenbräu, is no different.
"I'm really glad that my siblings and their children often help me and lend a hand," he says.
“It has become very difficult to get staff, and it is almost impossible to get specialist staff.” At the moment, he primarily needs temporary workers.
"I have enough permanent employees, they stayed because I had a good to-go business during the lockdown."
In the hotel and "Café am Wald" in Bad Tölz, a different picture emerges.
"We are lucky that we were able to keep our employees," says junior boss Sandra Fritz.
“I know the problem is rampant in the industry right now.
But it doesn't affect us, because we hardly ever worked with 450-euro workers before Corona," she explains.
In addition, she also fully increased her employees’ short-time work allowance during the lockdown.
“Otherwise we would have a big problem now.
As a small team, you can clearly tell if one person is absent.”
Landlord of the panorama restaurant Brauneck relieved: "I can start the season with my usual team"
Hans Müller, landlord of the panorama restaurant on the Brauneck, is also relieved.
“I see how many colleagues are struggling to get employees.
I can consider myself all the happier to be starting the season with my usual team,” he says happily.
Rudolf Rohrmoser, owner of the hotel and restaurant Reindlschmiede in Bad Heilbrunn, is feeling the effects of the shortage of skilled workers.
The topic is not entirely new.
"It's always been seasonal.
With a lot of work, there are staff shortages.” However, he noticed a difference: “The fear of another lockdown is greater among catering staff than in the hotel industry.” This is also due to the fact that in the “Reindlschmiede” there are also many tourists in addition to tourists Accommodate craftsmen and business travelers.
"Business trips were always possible," he explains.
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