The congestion at Ben-Gurion Airport and at many airports around the world indicates a widespread and alarming phenomenon - a severe shortage of workers that is not close to a solution, despite the relatively long duration of the airport's crisis.
In talks with senior officials at the airlines and the Airports Authority and with various factors in the industry, they reveal to "Israel Today" a difficult reality that is unlikely to end soon.
"The Airports Authority does everything to recruit workers. The salaries of security personnel can reach NIS 14,000, which is quite a bit of money. Those who complete the course, which is also paid for, receive a grant of NIS 2,500, in addition to good social conditions - and all "People are not coming," a senior employee at Ben Gurion Airport told Israel Today.
"The Corona has changed everything we knew, people prefer more comfortable jobs, with fewer hours but with more money. Our assessment is that people prefer to avoid jobs of service and meeting customers, and more work from home and at times that are convenient for them," she added.
The senior official added: "Employees received threats and went through cases of violence and quite a few other unusual incidents, especially when there are heavy loads at Ben Gurion Airport.
People think twice about whether they should get into it.
Everyone knows the situation, and it does not always pay off.
Many of the employees do their job out of a sense of mission and love for the place.
It is not an easy job. "
The queues at Ben Gurion Airport will not be shortened soon (archive), Photo: Yehonatan Shaul
A senior official at the Airports Authority said similar things: "The young people prefer to work in deliveries, because they earn NIS 100 an hour, put some of the money as tips directly into their pockets and work whenever it suits them, without a boss on their head. There is an entire generation gone.
"It is difficult to compete in the current situation. There are companies that employ workers from home and we offer excellent jobs, but they are not from home but require shifts that also include long standing, dealing with difficult situations and working at night. Therefore, they choose the easier jobs so industries Many, such as aviation, tourism and restaurants, are left without manpower. "
Global phenomenon
The source also said that the shortage of workers in the aviation and tourism industries is not unique to Israel, but is a global phenomenon: "It is not possible to rationally explain where the workers are, with the lowest unemployment rate in the world. We are currently recruiting workers. "Today's workers and managers are the source of power in this complex period. The work atmosphere and the special formation of the workers are part of the work experience, in addition to the rewarding salary."
Sarit Sharvit, VP of Ayala Travel, claims that the return of the tourism industry to full activity after the Corona crisis is accompanied by many difficulties, including the distress recorded in recent months in obtaining entry visas to the US, the Ministry of Interior's queue for passport renewals and the shortage of workers.
"50% of the workforce in the field of tourism in Israel left the industry during the Corona period, and those who remain handle 100% of the demand," said Sharvit.
She called on the Ministry of Tourism to assist the tourism industry in recruiting soon: "Grants and improving the average wage in the tourism industry will help greatly in recruiting workers for the industry, but alongside such a move, it is important that the Ministry of Tourism launches a campaign and even opens workers' training campuses."
Airlines also have a hard time dealing with the situation.
The customer service centers of Israeli airlines suffer from a severe shortage of manpower, with EL AL flights recently being canceled almost every day due to disputes between the pilots and the management.
Airlines try to recruit more employees in almost every possible position, and they too are finding it difficult to succeed in the task, which has become particularly challenging.
Queues have become routine
The results are dire - huge quantities of luggage are not loaded for flights from Israel and other countries.
It is important to emphasize that this is a problem that affects many airports in the world, with an emphasis on Amsterdam and London, although the problem is also felt in New York, Berlin, Barcelona and other airports, leading to quite a few cancellations of flights around the world.
Long queues at ports before takeoff have become routine, the long wait to receive luggage is a matter for passengers to take into account, and now, as reported yesterday in Israel Today, even returning home in a taxi has become almost impossible, making the whole vacation process abroad tedious. .
When will all this end?
Shmuel Zakai, director of Ben Gurion Airport, estimates that the recruitment of personnel will only be completed on Passover next year, which means that the coming summer is expected to be very difficult for the aviation industry, passengers and employees.
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