At the height of the tourist season, some European countries are experiencing an acute shortage of waiters and other hospitality workers. Find out more about how businesses are trying to meet the demand in the tourism industry

Legal advice on education and employment for Ukrainians abroad

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Spain, Italy, Croatia and other EU countries are facing an acute shortage of hotel and restaurant workers. This is a serious problem, as the hospitality industry is one of the key sectors of their economies.

Since 2021, tourism indicators have been growing steadily and are approaching the indicators of the 2019 pre-docking year. Accordingly, the demand for workers in this industry has also increased.

The state of the labor market in the hospitality industry in Europe

La Tribuna de Ciudad Real reports that bars and restaurants in Spain experience an acute shortage of staff every summer. In 2024, almost half of the vacancies remained unfilled. 

Most of the food establishments in Abruzzo were also unprepared for the peak summer tourist season. The shortage of waiters is particularly acute in this region of Italy. 

The Croatian Employment Service (CES) emphasizes that according to statistics, in 2023, the most popular and most sought-after position in Croatia was that of a waiter. The professions of salesperson, cleaner, and waiter together accounted for 17% of the total number of employees. 

The Adriatic coast is acutely experiencing a shortage of cooks, bartenders, waiters, cleaners, salespeople, bakers, confectioners, and other tourism-related professions. 

In our previous article, we mentioned that Europe is experiencing a shortage of personnel in the healthcare sector, so some countries offer visas to foreign medical workers.

Possible options to fill the staff shortage in the travel industry

The only effective way to meet the growing needs of tourism in Europe is to hire foreign workers. However, Gonzalo Fuentes, head of the Catering Department of the Commission of Workers' Commissions (CCOO), rejected the idea of attracting specialists from abroad, as it would not improve working conditions.

According to InfoMigrants, representatives of the tourism business in the Italian region of Abruzzo have organized a project to train foreign workers who intend to find employment in the restaurant industry.

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Which European countries need the most foreign workers?

In addition to the aforementioned Italy, Spain, and Croatia, most of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe are experiencing an acute shortage of waiters and other hospitality workers. The waiter profession has been recognized as one of the most widespread and in-demand in Europe. 

This means that foreigners have more chances for employment in the following countries:

1. Bulgaria;

2. Cyprus;

3. Germany;

4. Denmark;

5. Greece;

6. Finland;

7. France;

8. Croatia;

9. Italy;

10. Luxembourg;

11. Malta;

12. Netherlands;

13. Norway;

14. Portugal;

15. Romania;

16. Slovenia;

17. Slovakia.

In addition to waiters, all of the above countries also reported a shortage of other professions related to the hotel and restaurant business.

You can get help with employment abroad on the Visit Ukraine portal. Our experienced lawyers will provide a full range of services and help you go through all stages of employment, providing an individual approach and expert support at every step. You can order the support of a specialist by following this link. Read more about the service here.

We remind you! The German government is introducing an opportunity map to attract workers from outside the European Union. This step is part of Germany's broader strategy to overcome the shortage of skilled labor, which is becoming an increasingly acute problem. Read more about how to participate in the program.

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.

Ihor Usyk is the Head of Legal Department at Visit Ukraine

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