Where did they go? Cooks, waiters, receptionists, housekeepers are missing in the hotel and restaurant industry. In a note published Tuesday, September 28, the Dares took stock: in one year, between February 2020 and February 2021, the workforce in the sector went from 1.309 million employees to 1.072 million, specifies the statistical service of the Ministry of job. That is to say a balance of 237,000 “disappeared” employees, resulting from the difference between 213,000 new entrants and 450,000 exits. La Dares specifies that recently, more than 400,000 mostly young employees entered these trades each year while around 370,000 people dropped out.
Asked by The world, those who returned their aprons spontaneously answered another question: “Why did I leave? “” Passion takes you for a while but constraints end up taking over “, said one. “We will have to realize that people are no longer forced to do it thanks to you! “, said another. Coming from various establishments, they bear witness in unison to the reasons which led them to abandon what they often qualify as “Passion job”.
Twenty years of work and paid 88 cents above the minimum wage
Fabienne will have exercised it for twenty-four years (most of the people questioned requested anonymity). A graduate of a BTS, she was receptionist, versatile employee, then assistant housekeeper. A permanent position in a 5-star which she resigned in July. To latent discontent has been added a complicated post-Covid-19 reopening.
In the hotel industry, the recovery was sometimes made with a small team, a part remaining on short-time work. “They favored profitability over quality. However, I chose a 5-star hotel for the sake of detail ”, deplores Fabienne. “We were asked for a lot of versatility to resume with the minimum of staff, says Malik, 24, a former receptionist in a 4-star hotel in Paris. That period made us all a bit rotten. “
« Customers were like a Pressure Cooker with the lid popped off. We faced unjustified anger, says Bénédicte, 36, a former head of reception in a hotel chain. More and more, people come to us as machines that have to deliver a service. “ ” And all this for what ? “, asked Fabienne. “I want to be of service, but it’s give and take. However, there is no recognition of the work. And it’s not just “thank yous”, it goes through salary! “
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