WAITERS WANTED: Restaurants and bars in Spain’s Castellon just cannot get the staff

BARS and restaurants in Castellon Province are desperate for summer staff.

Despite the financial and employment crisis caused by the coronavirus, the hospitality trade is having trouble finding employees for the peak time of the year.

It seems the main reason for this apparently contradictory situation is that a large fraction of seasonal staff has moved into other, more stable types of jobs, given the volatility of the current employment situation.

With bars, restaurants and hotels the most affected by the ever-changing COVID restrictions, it has been virtually impossible for employers to guarantee stable work this year.

In addition, many potential employees and trade unions complain that kitchen, table and bar work involve long hours, considerable stress, often unfair conditions with low pay rates, unpaid overtime, and severe difficulties to reconcile the job with family life due to the timetables.

All major job-seeker sites and apps are full of vacancies for hospitality workers all along the coast of Castellon, with the sector usually employing between 12,000 and 14,000 cooks and waiters every summer.  

This year’s figures are expected to be much lower, with many adverts for staff going unanswered not only in Castellon, but in all tourist hotspots throughout the country.

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