Štrbské Pleso is a popular destination in the High Tatras. (source: TASR)
The tourism industry in the High Tatras is lacking employees, particularly waiters, maids, and receptionists.
These employees lost their job during the pandemic, and the companies that had to let them go are now struggling to find enough skilled people to fill these positions, the SITA newswire reported.
The so-called winners in this situation are those who were not forced to lay people off during the pandemic, said Lucia Blašková, executive director of the Regional Tourism Organisation for the High Tatras.
Due to the pandemic, an estimated 2,000 workers in the High Tatras lost their jobs, most of them during the winter. Blašková said that wage subsidies employers received from the state helped save only a fraction of those positions.
Who are employers searching for?
The Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR) registered a total of 146 job offers in the food and beverage industry just in the Poprad district. Waiters and sommeliers are the most sought after; there are over 60 job offers for these types of professionals, Marianna Šebová of ÚPSVaR told SITA.
They are followed by cooks and behind-the-counter vendors. Entrepreneurs in tourism are also in need of hotel receptionists, kitchen staff and bar staff. Last May, there were 209 job offers in the Poprad district, comprising mostly of offers for cooks, waiters, and sommeliers.
Lacking staff impacts businesses
Some entrepreneurs delayed the opening of their businesses due to the lack of staff.
“They have no means of securing the necessary personnel. Thus, they can’t open their business or work in full capacity without influencing the quality of their services,” Blašková explained, as quoted by SITA.
She pointed to the fact that though there is an increasing number of job offers in gastronomy and tourism in the regions, there are no people to fill them.
