Despite the start of the summer holidays ringing in the sector's busiest season, many restaurants and bars are looking to reduce capacity or reduce their opening hours as the lack of staff as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic persists.
Establishments within the so-called "Horeca sector" (hotel, restaurant, cafe) in Belgium are increasingly finding it hard to operate at 100%, according to reports from Belga News Agency.
"The customer will have to expect a change in the accessibility of hospitality establishments," Thierry Neyens, president of the Horeca Wallonia Federation, said.
The Dubuisson brewery, which operates several establishments in Tournai, Ath, Pipaix, Mons, Charleroi and Louvain-la-Neuve, said that around 20% of its workforce is missing from a total of around 150 people.
"We are lacking restaurant managers, chefs, commis de salle, dishwashers, kitchen assistants and receptionists," Gérald Deschamps, its operational director, said. "It is becoming very complicated to manage and run our establishments in these conditions."
What it takes to fill the gap
The toll the pandemic had on the hospitality sector and its staffing levels have in turn made it harder to not only find but also retain employees, as the added stress has made the sector less attractive.
The uncertainty of the future of the hotel and catering industry has made many employees leave the job for a more stable opportunity, Neyens said.
While many establishments are trying to entice new employees by making their positions more attractive through, for example, higher pay, that is no longer enough. "Leisure time is now an important part of everyone's life and some people choose a job that will allow them to have enough free time," Neyens said.
However, not all responsibility should fall on the establishments when finding people to work, according to the sector. Deschamps said the authorities must make more effort to improve the vocational training of young people and should think about a better distribution of financial incentives.
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The Walloon Federation of the hotel and catering industry agrees and recognises that, with certain replacement incomes and benefits, unemployment can sometimes feel more beneficial. However, the perception of technical and vocational training has declined sharply in the past 15 years.
"There is also too great a gap between training and the field," Neyens said. "Internships do not offer enough real immersion with all the conditions specific to the job."
If the situation in the labour force does not improve, establishments will have to make reductions in operations and offerings. The first changes will likely become apparent in the opening hours on public holidays.
