Hotels in the Balearics have this season continued to experience difficulties with staff recruitment. There is a shortage of qualified personnel that affects all sectors of the Balearic economy but which is most evident in the tourism industry, the largest employer.
Despite this, there are more people working in Balearic hotels than anywhere else in Spain, and this is not because there are more hotels than anywhere else. In this regard, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE), 1,367 hotels in the Balearics were open in June, behind Andalusia (2,694), Catalonia (2,445), and Galicia (1,660).
This said, there were more accommodation places in the Balearics than these other regions - a total of 376,355 beds. In June, the INE reports, there were 73,569 people working in the islands' hotels, equivalent to roughly one in nine of all people signed on for work with social security - in employment in other words.
The Mallorca Hoteliers Federation says a lack of staff has become the norm but that the problem has not necessarily worsened this summer. Executive vice president María José Aguiló attributes shortages to the difficulties with finding housing (a key factor) and the lack of trained personnel. Looking ahead to September, Aguiló says the forecast is to maintain similar staffing levels to those in August, although this will depend on the "evolution of demand and occupancy".
The major hotel chains highlight the problem posed by the lack of staff for a sector focused on improving quality of service and which raises its prices based on an improvement in service and overall product.
The largest hotel group, Meliá Hotels International, offers a relatively positive assessment of the season. "Recruiting talent to fill our vacancies has worked reasonably well this season." This has been the case in Mallorca in particular, but less so in Menorca, where staff shortages "have led us to continue offering accommodation and strengthen our appeal as an employer".
At Riu Hotels & Resorts, there is a well-established workforce in the islands with employees who have many years of experience with the company. However, retirement has caused issues. "This season we have not been able to fill our rosters, and in many establishments the work teams have been stressed. As these workers retire, we see that we're starting to have the same problems as our competitors."
Iberostar began the season with 1,500 vacancies in Spain, more than half of which were in the Balearics. "The current situation is prompting us to intensify our efforts to attract talent, especially for profiles that are still in their formative stages." Among the most in-demand positions this year have been kitchen staff and chambermaids.