Holidaymakers heading to Spanish party hotspots like Benidorm and Magaluf could face a longer wait to get served in the hundreds of bars and restaurants used by UK visitors. Hospitality bosses in the popular resorts have reported major staff shortages - with about 4,000 vacancies in the Costa Blanca area alone.
Despite more staff being employed as high-season approaches, there are still likely to be thousands of post left unfilled with many establishments blaming Brexit for the shortfall. Hordes of British youngsters for normally head to the party resorts for the summer to take up seasonal jobs in bars, shops and clubs, but new rules following the UK's exit from the EU means they are no longer eligible.
An estimated 25,000 young people from the UK worked in temporary jobs overseas pre-Brexit but that number has slumped causing the staffing shortages.
Alex Fratini, spokesman for the Association of Bars, Restaurants and Cafeterias of Benidorm (Abreca), told a national newspaper: "We are seeing that the problem is not money. The salary of a waiter in Benidorm is about 1,200 euros net per month and in addition, there are a lot of tips, especially with the English - each waiter takes about 300 euros more per month."
Some bar owners now fear they may have to close early to cope with the staff shortages with long hours and low wages adding to the crisis. Others have blamed the cost of living in popular tourist resorts, with a waiter's salary unable to afford a month's rent.
In Majorca, where businesses have already express concerns over staff issues, the local government is investigating if it can ease the problem. The Balearic parliament is considering plans to convert former hotels and tourist apartments into low-cost housing to attract workers to the island.
A Magaluf bar owner said: "It is almost impossible to get a summer job unless you have all the visa requirements and a contract in advance."
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