The lack of housing and its high cost, in addition to the mobility problems caused by deficient road infrastructure, discourage interest in working in sectors such as tourism and construction, which generate the most economy in the islands, according to the Excelcan business alliance.
"People prefer assistance and staying at home rather than going to work 60 kilometers away. The housing problem and the mobility problem" are some of the factors why island entrepreneurs cannot find available labor, said Excelcan Vice President José Carlos Francisco.
This business alliance, which includes some of the main Canary Island firms in the tourism sector, such as Lopesan, Satocan, Binter, and Loro Parque, among others, presented a report on Tuesday on the balance of the first quarter of the year and its future prospects, in which the shortage of suitable labor is, for 66.7% of its associates, one of the limiting factors of activity.
When asked about the availability of tourism entrepreneurs represented by Excelcan to provide accommodation for their workers, Francisco said that "in the recent past, many hoteliers have tried to build homes," and they have encountered problems related to "licenses and land."
"It's not easy, people have tried it, not in hotels, which is not a good solution, it would be a last resort. The ideal thing is that you could also build homes for your workers. People are willing to do it, and it's not a gift, it can be a business for the employer," he said.
In any case, the vice president of Excelcan stressed that what Canary Island entrepreneurs want is "for people to have housing at a reasonable price and reasonably close to their work, but for that, we believe we need to deregulate."
"We believe that in the Canary Islands, the housing problem lies in the lack of supply, neither public nor private housing is being built," he added.
Regarding the balance of the tourism situation that Excelcan has made for the first quarter of the year, Francisco highlighted the "record" of spending registered at the destination by the 4.8 million people (15% more) who have visited the archipelago: 6,384.6 million euros, 19.3% more than that recorded in the same period of 2023.
