London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Staffing crunch hits France — world’s most visited country

Staffing crunch hits France — world’s most visited country

Those in hospitality worry labor shortages could persist, even as President Macron plans to tackle 7 percent unemployment in an economy with hundreds of thousands of job vacancies.

Tourists have returned to France en masse. But there's nobody to pop that bottle of Moët because the waiters have disappeared.

After more than two years of pandemic-driven lockdowns and restrictions that hit the tourism industry hard, the most visited country on the planet is finally seeing visitors return in full force. But far from being a moment of celebration to mark a long-awaited economic reopening, the return to normalcy has been severely hampered by labor shortages across the country.

In 2020, the worst year of the pandemic, tourism fell by 40 percent in France, causing a shortfall of around €60 billion. Hospitality workers found themselves at home for months on end, relying on government aid rather than their regular income and tips, while bars, restaurants and hotels struggled to stay afloat. This year, France is expected to hit pre-pandemic levels of tourism, when it saw 80 million to 90 million foreign visitors annually. But the hospitality sector's efforts to roll out the red carpet this summer to those who were finally able to visit have been hurt by labor shortages.

At one point in the spring, there were up to 300,000 jobs advertised for hotels and restaurants across the country, a significant missing chunk for a sector which employed 1.3 million in 2020. In the tourist haven of Paris' Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, elegant restaurants have resorted to closing their doors one or more days a week to tackle the shortfall. Others have turned to upping benefits and providing flexible schedules, but have met limited success so far, raising concerns the shortages could persist into the fall and beyond.

Elodie, a waiter at Néo Café, sounded a worried note ahead of the fall season when many younger workers who take up summer jobs return to school: "This summer we're doing OK. We're the lucky ones. But in September we'll have to see what happens, because that's the month where there are big changes [in staff]."

While hospitality is one of the worst-hit, it isn't the only industry affected by widespread labor shortages. A survey by the Confédération Générale des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises published in July showed that half of small- and medium-sized businesses in France were actively recruiting, but 94 percent of them were not managing to find the “right profile.”


'It's not the same generation'


The manager of bistro La Petite, Julien, says the impact of shortages extends well beyond just wait times for customers: Without “truly competent” people, the quality of service drops. And along with it, revenue. La Petite is in Paris' Latin Quarter on Place de la Contrescarpe, a square clustered with cafés which has cleaned up its act since it featured in the opening vignette in Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. Then, it was plagued with drunkards and "the smell of dirty bodies." Now, none of the cafés can afford to be “sad, evilly run,” like the one in the memoir; they must bend over backwards to attract young workers who are increasingly finding better options elsewhere.

Across the square, Kellia, the sole waiter for afternoon service at the Café des Arts, says most of her colleagues are “students who don’t have experience. They work for just three weeks, so we don’t even have time to train them.” Stéphanie, who runs Café Delmas, puts it bluntly: “It’s difficult to find true professionals. They’re lazy, it’s not the same generation." While this may be on the harsh side, many of industry's old guard agree that young people don't see these jobs as a vocation.

President Emmanuel Macron shares this view, and intends to make it harder to access unemployment benefits while an abundance of jobs remain on offer


"Mentalities have changed," says Jean-Claude, maître d'hôtel at the Brasserie Lipp, which, before the coronavirus, had barely shut since 1880. "Lots of them have gone to university, they want to work like everyone else, work office hours. They want their weekends and bank holidays off, which is practically impossible in this line of work." The brasserie's entire staff is composed of gray-haired men in white aprons and black waistcoats. Their average seniority, according to one count, is 19 years. For Jean-Claude, only a select few workplaces bring a sense of pride these days.

For the government, addressing the shortfall is a major priority, and a key to lowering France’s unemployment rate, which stood at 7.3 percent in the first quarter of 2022. In early July, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called the shortage the country’s “second biggest emergency” after spending power and said “nothing is more revolting” than having such high unemployment while so many employers look for staff.

President Emmanuel Macron shares this view, and intends to make it harder to access unemployment benefits while an abundance of jobs remain on offer. In an interview on France's national day, July 14, Macron announced that a draft law enshrining measures to this effect could be presented as early as "this summer," saying that “full employment” was “the heart of the battle [he wants] to fight in the next years.” Full employment is a euphemism; it is in fact an objective of less than 5 percent unemployment, according to the International Labour Organization.

Macron, repeatedly accused of haughtiness and disdain by his opponents, doubled down on a controversial statement he made in 2018, when he implied that finding a job was as simple as “crossing the street.” He said this was “even truer” today, no doubt eyeing up the right-wing Républicains in parliament, with whom he must compromise to pass laws, now that his own party no longer has an absolute majority.

“If [people on benefits are] looking for another career, I can understand it,” said Macron, “If they think the answer is relying on national solidarity while they reflect on things, I struggle to understand it.”

Stéphanie at Café Delmas would no doubt agree.


The Canadian model


The headline idea behind the upcoming reform is a welfare system which changes according to economic conditions. In the words of Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt, “Our benefits rules must take into account the jobs market, like Canada does.” Canada’s adaptive benefits system works on a region-to-region basis; Dussopt clarified that highly centralized France would likely not be going down this specific route.

Unions have criticized the plans. Speaking to Paris Match, Denis Gravouil of the CGT, the General Confederation of Labour, condemned the idea of “conditioning unemployment benefits [to make people] accept any old job.” Others pointed to the fact that the last major labor overhaul only took full effect in October, having been put on hold during the pandemic, and the impact of these changes remains unknown.

As head of talent for France at Accor, the largest hospitality company in Europe, Nicolas Saint-Marc spends his life trying to convince people to work in hospitality. For him, “It’s better to incite positively than to restrict.”

“Reforms which incite people to enter the sector because if they didn’t, they’d be in trouble, might be good for us,” he said, “But as an individual, I prefer positive motivation instead.”

Accor has 2,000 jobs listed for France, a figure which has stayed stable since January. They’ve tried countless initiatives to make hotel work more attractive. Recruitment days in Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris, and soon across Europe, offer up hundreds of contracts, with no interviews or CVs required, just participation in “group challenges.” They’ve piloted four-day weeks and even a format where employees design their own rota in collaboration with one another. Despite increased benefits, only a third of the jobs up for offer at the recent recruitment days were filled.


Hospitality "hell"


The go-to explanation for the shortage among those in the sector is that these jobs are hard work, often come with gruelling schedules such as split shifts, and with a compensation that doesn't match the skills and effort required. During the pandemic, many in the industry and beyond reflected on their jobs and careers, particularly given how precarious the situation was for hospitality workers at the time. According to Angers University hospitality and tourism researcher Thibaud Szpyrka, workers in the “hellish cycle” of the service sector “finally had time to sit down and ask themselves what they wanted to do.”

A waiter sleeps in the shade of the Tuileries Garden


Szpyrka, who’s based in Mallorca, doesn’t see the government’s strategy helping. “These measures won’t necessarily bring them into the hospitality sector, or other sectors known for difficult conditions.” More flexible work arrangements, like Spain’s fijo discontinuo, a special contract for seasonal work, was preferable, according to Szpyrka. “Wanting to “CDI-ize” at all costs [meaning make everything an indefinite-duration contract] doesn’t respond to jobseekers’ needs.”

For all the talk of how people’s attitudes and expectations may have changed, particularly during the pandemic, the elephant in the room is money. Poor pay, poor pensions and weak benefits in the sector remain clear drawbacks and with inflation hovering around 6 percent, things are unlikely to get better.

Juan, manager of the Monk bar near Place Saint-Michel, says “After 8 p.m. we’re paid as if it’s 9 a.m. We’re not reimbursed for the taxis we have to take at 3:30 a.m.”

“The government has to put their hands in their pockets and, at the very least, make this an attractive job.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
You Are So Beautiful
Rob Schneider explains California reparations legislation.
Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
Who knew badminton could get so intense?
An old French tune (by Georges Brassens) Pomplamoose ft. John Schroeder
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Sattahip Motor Show 20
London's Iconic British Telecom Tower Sold To Become Hotel
SONATE AU CLAIR DE LUNE - Moonlight sonata
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
A kiss to build a dream on
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Russia Claims UK Cultural Agency Spied for Ukraine
Mean Blues
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
La Chansonnette
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
Pattaya Addicts
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
Franz Liszt - Liebestraum - Love Dream
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Dream a little dream of me
New video
Unchained Melody sung like you've NEVER heard!
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Dave Brubeck - Take Five
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
Édith Piaf - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (Sofie)
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Rondo Alla Turca
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
Kiss of fire
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Tom Jones - I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 1967, 1989, 2001
Prince William Urges End to Gaza Conflict
Israel Cachao López - Guajira Clásica
UK court to hear Assange's final appeal against extradition to the US, where he faces charges related to his journalistic work—the publication of a classified video in 2010 that exposed US war crimes against humanity.
Edward Maya - Stereo Love (feat. Vika Jigulina) (Extended Mix)
About 50-60% kids either chose to be YouTuber or influencer
Strauss - Radetzky March - Karajan
A viral video of Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce lying on a Canberra footpath is celebrated by his media mates.
La vie en rose
European Countries React to Navalny's Death by Summoning Russian Diplomats
The Temptations - My Girl (Smokey Robinson Tribute) 2006 Kennedy Cent
Israel has gone ‘beyond self-defence’ in Gaza, says Labour’s Streeting
Orlando Cachaito Lopez Redencion
English farmers to be offered ‘largest ever’ grant scheme amid food security concerns
Edith Piaf - NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN
Cameron government knew Post Office ditched Horizon IT investigation
RADETZKY MARCH-2008-Wien, New Year Concert
EU Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza Conflict
Only you (And you alone)
EU Vows To Hold Putin "Accountable" After Meeting Alexei Navalny's Wife
Strangers In The Night
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
Charles Aznavour - La Boheme
The EU Initiates Naval Mission to Defend Red Sea Trade Routes
Summer time
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Sting and Stevie Wonder - Fragile (from Sting's 60th birthday concert)
Brazil's Lula Likens Gaza Operation to Holocaust, Israel Says "Red Line" Crossed
Aux Champs Elysees
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Stand By Me - Ben E. King (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Microsoft-backed OpenAI valued at $80bn after company completes deal
La Mer (Beyond the Sea) – Avalon Jazz Band
‘Alexei would want to tell Russia not to give up fighting’
She
Rwandan Footballer's Dismissal Sparks Concerns Over UK Asylum Plan
Nathalie Song by Enzo Petrachi Stjepan Hauser Cello
Whisky Challenges China's Baijiu Market During New Year Celebrations
Shape of My Heart - Sting (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
Radiohead - Creep
Putin Critic Alexei Navalny's "Killers" Refusing To Hand Over Body, Say Allies
Quizás,Quizás,Quizás - Andrea Bocelli - Jennifer Lopez
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Multi-Couples
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Pentatonix Havana
20 Tech Giants Sign Effort To Fight AI Election Interference Across Globe
Paula Cole - Autumn Leaves
Joe Biden Accuses Putin of Causing Navalny's Death
Oscar Benton Bensonhurst Blues
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
OH NANANA vs ABUSADAMENTE
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
Nina Simone - ”I Put A Spell On You”. Vezi aici cum cântă Jeremy Ragsd
Julian Assange's Wife Warns of His Death if Extradited to US
NIGHTWISH - The Phantom Of The Opera
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Motorshow 2016 Tanjay Negros Oriental
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Monica Bellucci - Ti Amo
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Milena The Voice France 2018
In Britain Homeowners are receiving CPO’s (Compulsory Purchase Orders) so their homes can be redistributed to migrants
Michael Buble (Help Me Make It Through The Night) feat Loren Allred
Memories Canon In D - Maroon 5 (Boyce Avenue piano acoustic cover)
Matteo Simoni - Marina
Maroon 5 - One More Night
Maroon 5 - Memories
Mark Knopfler - Brothers In Arms (Berlin 2007 Live)
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - Romeo And Juliet (Real Live Roadrunni
Marina, Marina - The LUCKY DUCKIES intimist live concert at Guimarães
Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On Mauranne The Voice France 2016
Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet - Joslin - Henri Mancini, Nino Rota
LoLa & Hauser - Love Story
Linkin Park Jay-Z - Numb Encore (Live 8 2005)
Hallelujah Mennel Ibtissem, The Voice France Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love
Leonard Cohen & Natasha Rostova - Dance me to the end of love
La casa de papel - Bella Ciao
La Camisa Negra
L'italiano (Toto Cutugno) - The Gypsy Queens
Juanes - La Camisa Negra
Jonathan and Charlotte - Britain's Got Talent 2012 Live Semi Final - U
John Powell - Assassin's Tango
Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On (LIVE in Dortmund)
Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart 2002 Live
Joe Cocker - A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Jay Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind LIVE
Jason Mraz - Im Yours (live)
Jarrod Radnich - Bohemian Rhapsody - Virtuosic Piano Solo
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
James Blunt - You're Beautiful & Bonfire Heart (Live at The Nobel Peac)
If You Go Away - Helen Merrill & Stan Getz (Tribute to Virna Lisi)
I'LL BE MISSING YOU
I Say a Little Prayer
Hotel California ( Eagles ) 1994 Live
Historia de un amor - Luz Casal. Vezi interpretarea Biancăi Sumanariu
Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover) on Spot
Heart - Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin - Kennedy Center Honors
HAVANA by Camila Cabello Zumba Pre Cooldown TML Crew Kramer Pastra
HAUSER and Señorita - I Will Always Love You
HAUSER - Waka Waka
HAUSER - Sway
HAUSER - Lambada
HAUSER - Historia de un Amor
HAUSER - Despacito
Great Pretender
Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice Samba to 'Volare' - Strictly Come
Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues
GIPSY KINGS VOLARE Penelope Cruz
Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
French Latino - Historia de un Amor
For A Few Dollars More The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Live)
Flashdance • What a Feeling • Irene Cara
Filip Rudan - “Someone You Loved” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sez
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Enya - Only Time
Enrique Iglesias - Bailando (English Version) ft. Sean Paul
Enrique Iglesias - Bailamos
Elena Yerevan Historia de un amor
Ed Sheeran - Shape of You (Official Music Video)
Ed Sheeran - Perfect Symphony [with Andrea Bocelli]
Ed Sheeran - Perfect (Official Music Video)
Easy On Me - Adele (Boyce Avenue 90’s style piano acoustic cover) on S
ERA - Ameno
ELENA YEREVAN- Cancion Del Mariachi-IN STUDIO-2017 DPR
Dust In The Wind - Kansas (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Despacito x Shape Of You - Pentatonix
Deep Purple - Child In Time - Live (1970)
David Foster When A Man Loves A WomanIt's A Mans World (SealMichael Bo
Dance me to the end of Love ( Pi-Air Design )
Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.) [Official Music Video]
Conquest Of Paradise (Vangelis), played on Böhm Emporio organ
Cielito Lindo
Chico & The Gypsies - Bamboleo
Canción Del Mariachi - Antonio Banderas, Los Lobos • Desperado
Camila Cabello - Havana (Audio) ft. Young Thug
Camila Cabello - Havana ( cover by J.Fla )
California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas José Feliciano (Boyce Ave
Buster Benton - Money Is The Name of The Game
Hallelujah Pentatonix
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy (Official Music Video)
Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door Emilia The Voice Kids France
Besame Mucho - Cesaria Evora
Ben E. King - Stand by Me Sax Cover Alexandra Ilieva Thomann
Bella Ciao
Bella Ciao - INSTRUMENTAL
Beautiful in White x Canon in D (Piano Cover by Riyandi Kusuma)
Bad Romance - Vintage 1920's Gatsby Style Lady Gaga Cover ft. Ariana Savalas & Sarah Reich(1)
BELLA CIAO 2020 - KARAOKE ITALIANO
BAMBOLEO - Gipsy Kings • Antonio Banderas, Katya Virshilas
BAILANDO (original)
Awesome Ukrainian yodeler - SOFIA SHKIDCHENKO (with English subtitles)
Avicii - The Nights
Atom - The Great Gig in the Sky
Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Official Ly
Antonio Banderas - Cancion del Mariachi (Desperado)
André Rieu - Zorba's Dance (Sirtaki)
André Rieu - Can't Help Falling In Love
André Rieu & Mirusia - Ave Maria
Andrew Reyes Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down The Voice 2020 (
Andreas Kümmert Whiter Shade Of Pale The Voice of Germany 2013 Showd
And I Love You So
All About That Bass - Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
Alan Walker - Faded (Piano Cover)
Ain't No Sunshine -- Bill Withers (cover by Canen 12 y.o.)
African music
Adriana Vidović - “Creep” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
Adriana Vidović - “Believer” Nokaut 3 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
A Fistful of Dollars - The Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Tuva
4 Beautiful Soundtracks Relaxing Piano [10min]
2CELLOS - Whole Lotta Love vs. Beethoven 5th Symphony [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
2CELLOS - Smooth Criminal (Live at Suntory Hall, Tokyo)
2CELLOS - Smells Like Teen Spirit [Live at Sydney Opera House]
2CELLOS - Despacito [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
13 Year Old Girl Playing Il Silenzio (The Silence) - André Rieu
094.All About That Bass
00 - SADNESS PART 1
(Ghost) Riders In the Sky (American Outlaws Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (Boyce Avenue ft. Conn
What a wonderful world
Moon river
×