LUCCA. Like any self-respecting tourist season, even more so with a return of visitor flows equal to pre-pandemic ones, the issue of seasonal workers remains a burning issue.
Faced with a high demand for workforce by restaurateurs, hoteliers and other protagonists of this sector, the hiring forecasts in the April-June quarter in the province of Lucca, according to estimates made known by a report by the Tuscany Chamber of Commerce North West, reported -13 percent compared to the same as a year ago.
Translated concretely, it means having 2,200 fewer units. A confirmation of a trend that has been consolidated for at least a couple of summers now. If the different positioning of Easter in the last two years may have moved part of the hiring to the first quarter of 2024, the roots of the problem lie in different reasons depending on the point of observation.
Few questions
Antonio Favapresident of Fipe restaurateurs Lucca, returns to the sender the accusations of a category that does not adequately estimate, on an economic level, the role of its staff.
«There is no exploitation of labor – Fava states decisively -. I would say that in our sector, as well as in the hotel sector, with the outbreak of the pandemic there has been a change in mentality or perspective of many people who once wanted to do this job. These days, up until 2019, at least twenty CVs had already arrived on the table. Today, despite entrusting myself to the employment centre, not even the shadow of questions. Yet, the job offer, going hand in hand with the growth of the tourist flow in the city, has increased”.
To overcome these critical issues, Fipe Confcommercio will shortly launch preparatory courses for the training of dining room staff, targeting both high schools and local associations.
«This is a project that represents an opportunity for many subjects – explains Fava -. By now we should have become aware of how in Lucca, the tourist season does not last from May to September but has extended for almost nine months of the year. Talking about seasonality is an understatement. We hope for a reversal of the employment trend, otherwise more and more places will be forced to choose whether to remain open for lunch or dinner.”
However, the experience of the labor market exchanges, which was held at Villa Bottini last year, again organized by Confcommercio, will not be repeated: the results, in fact, were not considered satisfactory.
Cost factor
On this trend, second Pietro Boninopresident of Federalberghi Lucca, a decisive role is played by the ever-increasing impact of a domino effect of prices that has not yet reached its destination.
«Between increases in supplier tariffs and other expenses, the scenario, especially in the months full of tourists, is complex – argues Bonino -. The owners of the structures, numbers in hand, have to deal with many voices. Hotel rooms, then, cannot magically increase. During the low season, many colleagues opted for a one-month closure of their facility in order to keep costs down.”
As regards seasonal workers, there are two paths that hoteliers are forced to follow. «On the one hand there is the possibility, despite the tourist season being upon us, of having one less employee until May, all making sacrifices, and then completing the workforce – reveals Bonino -. Furthermore, more and more hotels are turning to cooperatives to find profiles capable of filling staff gaps, even just for a couple of weeks. There is a risk, however, that in the face of many requests, cooperatives will suffer a sort of overbookingnot having a numerically adequate workforce.”
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