Brits heading on Spain holidays may find they have to wait a little longer to be served their sangria as hospitality bosses struggle to fill 200,000 jobs.
Hotels, bars and restaurants in the country are facing a staffing crisis ahead of the peak holiday season, with many bosses hiring staff with no experience, no CVs and very little training.
The 200,000 job shortfall is causing major issues for tourism bosses who are struggling to keep services operating in holiday hotspots around Spain, reports WalesOnline.
Thousands of workers left the nation's hospitality industry when international travel shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many have not returned leaving employers facing a desperate shortage.
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It remains to be seen what impact the shortfall has when large numbers of visitors arrive during the school holidays at the end of July and in August.
Potential employees have been offered bigger salaries, free accommodation and extras such as cash bonuses and health insurance in a bid to fill outstanding vacancies.
Gabriel Escarrer, chief executive of Majorca-based hotel chain Melia, said: "Many employees have decided to move to other sectors, so we are starting an industry from scratch and we have to fight for talent."
His company recently provided accommodation, sometimes in hotel rooms, because of a shortage in rental options near its resorts.
Bars and restaurants have increased workers' wages by nearly 60 per cent in the first quarter of 2022 compared to a year earlier, according to official data.
But the tourism industry is still the sector that pays employees the least, around 1,150 euros per month.
Staff shortages are particularly pressing in Spain and Portugal, where tourism accounted for 13 per cent and 15 per cent of economic output respectively before the pandemic.
The issue has been aggravated because of tighter restrictions on employing UK seasonal workers in destinations like Spain and other hotspots after Brexit. This has left thousands of summer roles unfilled.
Europe's largest hotelier Accor is running trial initiatives to recruit people who haven't previously worked in the industry, Chief Executive Sebastien Bazin said.
Accor, which operates brands like Mercure, ibis and Fairmont in over 110 countries, needs 35,000 workers globally, he said.
"We tried in Lyon and Bordeaux ten days ago and this weekend we're having people interviewed with no resume, no prior job experience and they are hired within 24 hours," Bazin said.
In the short term, Accor is filling roles in France with young people and migrants while also limiting services.
"It's students, people coming from North Africa," Bazin said. "And basically closing restaurants for lunch or (opening them) only five days a week. There's no other solution."
The new recruits are given six hours of training and learn on the job, he said.
Spain's catering industry is 200,000 workers short and Portuguese hotels need at least 15,000 more people to meet growing demand, according to national hospitality associations.
