The current labour shortage could have serious implications on the recovery of Europe’s travel and tourism sector, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the European Travel Commission (ETC).
According to the industry bodies, close to 1.2 million jobs across Europe will remain unfilled during the summer period, with travel agencies forecasted to be the hardest hit with a 30 per cent shortfall of workers.
Meanwhile, the air transport and accommodation segments are likely to suffer one in five unfilled vacancies, representing 21 per cent and 22 per cent staff shortage respectively.
WTTC president and CEO, Julia Simpson said: “Europe showed one of the strongest recoveries in 2021, ahead of the global average. However, current shortages of labour can delay this trend and put additional pressure on an already embattled sector.
“Governments and the private sector need to come together to provide the best opportunities for people looking for the great career opportunities that the travel sector offers,” she added.
In 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, close to 1.7 million jobs (direct employment) were lost across Europe’s travel sector. As governments eased restrictions and borders reopened in 2021, the sector’s direct contribution to the region’s economy recovered by 30.4 per cent and recovered 571,000 jobs, according to WTTC.
This year, WTTC projects the sector’s recovery will continue to accelerate and almost reach pre-pandemic levels, but only if “urgent action” is taken to address the labour shortfall.
Together with ETC, the council urged governments to implement new policies to facilitate labour mobility across borders.
The industry bodies also called upon the private sector to offer comprehensive training to upskill workers and adopt digital solutions to improve daily operations.
ETC president, Luis Araujo, said attracting and retaining new talent is one of the sector’s “biggest challenges” and requires a “coordinated, multi-layered and joint (public and private)” response.
Source: BTN Europe
