The terraces are already full, and restaurateurs are busy in the Arcachon basin – like a taste of the summer season, which looks promising. It will begin in the spring, with the hope of meeting the expectations of professionals in the sector. But, to achieve this, the teams must be complete, which is not the case, far from it.
“We have echoes of the recruitment difficulties in general, and seasonal workers in particular, which must be dealt with now. It is much more complex than usual, because there are fewer candidates,” comments Patrick Seguin, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Bordeaux Gironde. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Labor, between February 2020 and February 2021, 237,000 people left the restaurant sector. As the high season approaches, this situation weighs on the recruitment of seasonal workers. “It is very difficult to find, especially in the kitchen”explains an employee of the Café de la Plage, in Arcachon.
If the question of hiring still arises as spring approaches, and more specifically since the start of the health crisis, “we have the feeling that it’s worse this year”, pursues this employee. Open all year round, this establishment located on the seafront launched its recruitment a month ago, to try to complete its team. “The salaries are rather attractive and the working conditions more than adequate”, we argue at the Café de la Plage.
“Every year, it’s a hassle”
In order to put all the chances on his side, the boss rents houses in the surroundings to accommodate his seasonal workers. Indeed, housing is one of the black points of recruitment at the local level. “This is something that should be taken head-on at the level of communities that benefit from the tourist economy, but which have not necessarily preserved the housing tools, as we can do for students. , for example “, arguments M. Seguin.
“Housing seasonal workers is almost an obligation”, confirms Claire Laroche, director of the White Garden, in Cap-Ferret. She is looking to hire about fifteen people for the season, for her establishment, which is only open in the summer. “Every year, it’s a hassle. There, we don’t know how it will turn out.”. She knows that she will not hire catering professionals, but rather students, except in the kitchen. She has already planned to make them live, the time of the season, in a house rented for this purpose. “Already for those who work year-round in Cap-Ferret, finding accommodation is complicated, so in season…”
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