Lanzarote's business owners maintain that the hospitality sector is going through a difficult period, since they cannot find enough workers to fill the jobs.
“From the Federation we are not aware of the exact number of vacancies that there are right now in the hospitality sector in Lanzarote, but we can say that the demand is exaggerated”, points out Cristóbal Sánchez, president of Hostelan, association of business owners of Hospitality of Lanzarote.
In addition, he adds that it is not the only sector in this difficult circumstance, but that there is also a deficit in hotels and stockers, among others. “There is a lack of labor in everything”.
This controversy has been unleashed after the publication of official Eurostat data, which indicate that between last year and the first quarter of 2022 there were 109,00 vacancies that could not be filled in our entire country because they could not find employees for it.
It should be noted that unemployment has decreased in the hotel sector by almost 1,000 people in Lanzarote since 2019, before the pandemic and, in addition, in the month of April records were broken for affiliates, with 19,000 affiliates to the hospitality industry, of which 8,500 belonged to restaurants.
The big question is: why are there not enough workers?
Employers and union have opposing opinions
From the Hostelan hotel employers, they attribute this lack of workers to several factors, including the “pandemic effect”.
“We have been in a pandemic for two years and people have become accustomed to being calmer and with less stress”, explains Cristóbal Sánchez. “After the ERTEs they have seen that for 20% less of the salary they collect unemployment, so the people who are now unemployed are because they want to be, because right now there is an enormous demand for work”.
In addition, he insists that it is a problem of the system, pointing out that it “does not work”, because people earn “practically the same” being unemployed as working. “This makes many prefer to be unemployed”, he affirms. “The difference between working and not working is very little”
Therefore, he insists that the institutions should “focus on analyzing the situation of people who are unemployed”. “There are people who tell me not to register them because they are receiving aid or benefits and, of course, they prefer to stay in their homes”, says the president of Hostelan.
However, César Reyes, general secretary of the UGT in Lanzarote, maintains that “that is a perception of the employers”, and that “nobody wants to live on aid or unemployment, because it has an expiration date”.
“There are many claims for breach of the collective that are filed throughout the year, both in terms of working hours and wages, but not only in the hospitality sector, but in many others”, says Reyes. “I don't know the exact reason for the lack of workers, but many may understand that it is not a sector where what has been agreed is complied with”.
In addition, the union secretary adds that this “breach” ends up “deterring workers, who prefer to look for jobs in the service or commercial sector”. “The problem lies in other issues, such as access to housing or the lack of qualification of workers in the sector”, he maintains.
For his part, Cristóbal assures that “90% of the companies in the hotel sector in Lanzarote are legal” and “they do it well”, although he admits that “there will be others that are not, as everywhere”.
“I am totally against companies that have their employees working more hours than stipulated or that do not pay them or do not give them vacations, it is crazy”, says the president of Hostelan. “Of course, I can tell you that you work hard, but you also earn a lot”.
The lack of qualification makes hiring difficult
“We need more professional training in Lanzarote and, above all, that there is a salary difference between the most qualified and the least qualified positions”, says Cristóbal Sánchez.
In addition, he adds the problem of language, one of the great pending tasks at the national level and, however, one of the most important on the island, since tourists come from all over the world.
“English is the basis of everything and many workers do not even have that, so they are not qualified for many positions”, adds the president of Hostelan. “Sometimes there are workers, but not professionals”.
It should be noted that of the 10,203 unemployed people on the island, 6,200 only have primary studies and 3,000 have secondary studies, while the figure decreases as the person's training increases.
Housing, the "chronic" problem of the island
Added to this problem is that of housing, increasingly focused on tourists and less on the resident population.
“Many people left the island with the pandemic. Those who want to return to the Canary Islands now, and especially to Lanzarote, because it pays a little more here, cannot do so because practically all available homes are now for vacations, instead of long-term”, explains Sánchez.
“The housing problem has become chronic in the last decade in Lanzarote and neither the public nor private administration has started working on it to solve it”, adds César Reyes.
For his part, the president of Hostelan points out that, in his case, they are “looking to buy homes to put professionals from outside who want to come to work, it is the peace of mind that I give to the workers”. “I even have a waiting list to rent the company's houses”, he says
In addition, not finding an apartment near tourist areas further away from the center such as Playa Blanca, can lead to an extra expense for workers, who have to face the expensive price of gasoline, which continues to break records in 2022.
The labor reform and taxes
It should be noted that, after the entry of the labor reform, many contracts have benefited, not only in the hospitality sector, prioritizing permanent contracts over fixed-term contracts, which can only be established in specific situations.
“The reform has had a positive impact, both on workers and companies, in terms of job stability”, explains César Reyes. “In the Canary Islands it has been even greater, and in the last quarter we have taken the lead in terms of transformation of permanent contracts”.
However, Cristóbal Sánchez points out that there is still a need for “an opening of the market” to alleviate the situation that the sector is going through, and that “we can pay what we really want to pay”.
“There are many young people who want to work many hours, but when they do that extra hour, instead of charging it at 10 or 11 euros, they charge it at 4 with what they take from you in taxes”, he points out. “If they regulated all that it would be easier, there would be more demand and more could be paid, because there are people who want quality of life, but there are many others who want to build their future”.
In addition, he points out that this ends up giving rise to the “rascality” of moving the underground economy of Lanzarote. “I think that many of the people who are unemployed right now are dedicated to this economy”, since “the more you pay, the more you have to pay in taxes, both the worker and the company”, adds the president of Hostelan.
