Paradoxical: as unemployment soars, the hotel and catering industry cries famine

Between political instability and record public debt, France is going through a period of great uncertainty. In response, many business leaders are postponing or even canceling their recruitment campaigns. On January 27, the French Ministry of Employment published its unemployment figures, showing that the number of jobseekers registered with France Travail is the highest it has been for 10 years (excluding the Covid-19 period). In the fourth quarter of 2024, over 5 million people were registered with the job search platform. In the category of those who did not work at all during this period, the increase was 4% this quarter. Yet the demand for workers in the hotel and catering sector is considerable.

Over 200,000 vacancies

"Our sector, which was already heavily impacted by a shortage of labor before the Covid crisis, is in a very strong position.uvre before the Covid-19 crisis, remains under severe pressure", notes Catherine Quérard, President of the Groupement des hôtelleries et restaurations de France (GHR).

And while the latest economic signals suggest that the unemployment situation will continue to worsen, Catherine Quérard also remains vigilant: "We're also seeing a slowdown in our sector, and we're still worried about the future. We lost a lot of employees as a result of the pandemic, and we wouldn't want to lose any more, with employees moving on to other sectors."

At the end of 2023, hotels and restaurants had an average of between 250,000 and 300,000 unfilled positions per year. like other sectors, "we're worried because we have a high business failure rate". (Editor's note: insolvency is the opening of a procedure leading to the filing of a declaration of cessation of payments)

Among the thousands of unemployed, some have taken training courses that match the expectations of the GHR sectors. But between the staggered working hours, the physical work and the pressure of the sector, the unattractiveness of these professions is one of the main causes of the shortage of employees.

Recruitment at all levels

According to figures from the French Ministry of Labor, the people most affected by unemployment are young men and women over 50. Profiles that are in high demand in the hospitality industry. "In our sector, historically, young people were considered to be more dynamic. But now we have all age groups," emphasizes Catherine Quérard. She points to "major campaigns to recruit seniors". The result: "almost all successful" career paths.

Labour is needed at all levels: "We're looking for chefs de rang, managers and dishwashers alike". To recruit, hotel and catering companies use France Travail, but also other recruitment channels such as Linkedin and Indeed.