Record despite problems

The eternal battle for employees in tourism

Employee search in Ötztal style: the contest "Sölden is looking for the gastro super talent" took place again.

(Bild: Kirchgasser Photography)

May 1st marked the end of another successful season. But before every winter season there is the same outcry: "Too few employees!" And then it works again anyway! On the trail of the tourism paradox!

Since May 1st, the 2023/24 winter season is finally over. The Tyrolean slopes were often full to bursting and once again a five percent increase in overnight stays is being celebrated. Ischgl is even talking about a record season.

A tourist paradox
Tourism spokespeople regularly sound the alarm before the season because of the lack of staff. Time and again, they warn of a reduction in offers and services or even closures. The Landeck Chamber of Commerce even spoke of a disaster in 2022 because there was allegedly still a shortage of over 1000 workers in December. How does that fit in with the record? A tourist paradox!

The catering industry needs more and more employees because quality is increasing and working hours are decreasing.

Franz Staggl, Fachgruppen-Obmann Hotellerie

Bild: Daum Hubert/DAUM Hubert

2000 vacancies despite record number of employees
Franz Staggl, chairman of the hotel industry section of the Chamber of Commerce, has some interesting figures: "With around 59,000 employees - before corona it was 55,000 - we have a record in Tyrolean winter tourism this year. At the same time, however, the AMS had an average of 2000 vacancies per month."

TVB invested around 300,000 euros
Another contradiction, which Staggl explains as follows: "Due to the increasing quality and decreasing working hours per employee, we need more employees." Finding them is extremely difficult. "Some restaurants had to close or take an extra day off," says Alexander von der Thannen, Chairman of TVB Paznaun-Ischgl. Nevertheless, it was a record season. The TVB invested around 300,000 euros in recruiting staff.

Contingent "no longer up to date"
This season was "halfway over the line", says Imst WK chairman Josef Huber. His tourism spokesman Edmund Auer speaks of a case-by-case reduction in the offer and a difference in the problem whether you are talking about a country inn or the tourist centers. Anna Kurz, spokesperson for Tyrolean gastronomy in the chamber, sees a "huge problem" and repeats a well-known demand: "The quota for employees outside the EU is no longer up to date and must go." However, Kurz also speaks of a somewhat more relaxed situation in the Oberland compared to the Unterland.

There was also a premiere in Paznaun this year: "Tourism Games by Ischgl" was the name of the challenge for the next generation of restaurateurs.

(Bild: TVB Paznaun Ischgl)

Projects to recruit employees
For Franz Staggl, also chairman of Villa Blanka, this is no coincidence: "You just have to look at what the tourism system partners come up with." One of these ingenious ideas took place for the second time this year in Ötztal and is called "Sölden is looking for the Gastro Super Talent". 40 students from six tourism schools took on a challenge in service, cuisine and marketing. Together with the "pleasure ambassadors" - apprentices who learn to work in depth with regional products.

But Ischgl is also showing its inventiveness: at the 1st "Tourism Games by Ischgl" in April, young talents from Austria and Germany competed in the disciplines of cooking, bartending and marketing. Undoubtedly elaborate attempts to recruit tourism talent. Another successful model for Staggl is the "Talents for Tourism" program launched by the state of Tyrol and the Chamber of Commerce. Career changers can complete various final apprenticeship examinations in one and a half (paid) years.

So there is a battle for every helping hand in tourism and the demographics do not promise any prospect of improvement. Nevertheless, there will be records again - the tourism paradox lives on.