Harz in the labor shortage: Foreign workers are essential!

Harz in the labor shortage: Foreign workers are essential!

Tourism is flourishing in the heart of the Harz Mountains, but the dark side of this flourishing sector is clear: the shortage of workers. As news38.de reports, the region attracts thousands of holidaymakers and hikers every year, but has great difficulty attracting enough local workers. Hotels and restaurants, which often rely on seasonal workers, are increasingly looking to foreign workers to maintain their operations.

A current survey by the German Press Agency has shown that the proportion of foreign employees in the catering and hotel industries is higher than in many other industries. Especially in Lower Saxony, these employed citizens from abroad are crucial for tourism. It's not just seasonal workers that are needed, but also well-trained specialists such as chefs.

Skilled labor shortage and economic situation

However, things are looking bleak in the catering industry. [Tagesschau](https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/arbeitsmarkt/fachkraefte Mangel-gastgewerbe-verkaufminus-100.html) reports a decline in sales of almost 11 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year. There are many reasons for this: rising personnel and food costs as well as the expiry of the reduced VAT are putting a strain on many companies. An autumn survey tool made it clear that the skills gap in the hospitality industry remains pressing with over 8,800 open positions, with one in four open positions unable to be filled with qualified personnel.

The situation is particularly precarious for trained chefs. In June 2024, more than 3,400 chefs were missing, while the catering service with 2,140 vacancies and the system catering with 1,250 vacancies were also severely affected. A look into the future shows that the industry would like to rely more on foreign skilled workers and refugees in order to overcome these challenges.

Recruitment of foreign workers

However, recruiting foreign skilled workers is often complicated. EU citizens can move and work freely within the union, while non-EU citizens face strict entry requirements. Lengthy visa procedures are often the reason why many businesses cannot open on time. news38.de highlights that the state government is actively helping to recruit workers from countries like Morocco in order to close the gaps in the catering industry.

In the East Frisian holiday region, the proportion of foreign workers rose from 23 percent in 2014 to over 36 percent in 2024. On the East Frisian Islands it is even reported that practically every second employee in the hospitality industry comes from abroad. This underlines the increasing importance of foreign workers for the successful operation of this industry.

The challenges for the hospitality industry in Germany are diverse and demanding. The search for qualified personnel remains a central issue, while at the same time economic uncertainty and financial bottlenecks are bringing many catering businesses to their knees. More needs to be done here in the future to secure these important jobs and maintain the quality of the service offered.