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Coastal company representatives interviewed by Western Express note that workers who receive downtime benefits are reluctant to return to the job market because simple math outweighs it. People estimate that working for a salary close to the minimum wage will increase their income very insignificantly compared to a situation where they receive downtime benefits and do not go to work.
Therefore, while there is quarantine in the country, workers usually take advantage of it until the last day. The most relevant problem, which is becoming a trend, is in jobs where wages are traditionally not high, minimum wage or close to it. These are kitchen assistants in catering establishments, waitresses and cleaners in hotels.
It does not work for 50 euros
Algirdas Liandsberg, manager of the Klaipeda Hotel Promenada, says there is a problem with the employees.
“You need a part-time job, but no one goes to work because you don’t want to lose the benefits of downtime,” Liandsberg said. According to him, when talking to potential employees, they are bluntly saying that the employment service pays 500 euros and the company offers 550 euros.
The hotel manager A. Liandsberg has a realistic assessment of the situation, because she understands that people, having lived like this for more than a year, have become used to it.
“We hear that there are no more employees in Lithuania. Did they all spill somewhere? Sitting downtime! Today, 25 percent of Lithuanian employees do,” says A. Liandsberg.
According to him, although Klaipeda is not Palanga, seasonality is also very felt here. However, tourists from other parts of Lithuania do not cover the losses caused by the loss of tourist flows from Germany and other Western European countries.
To survive, Promenade looks for alternatives. Conclude accommodation contracts for company employees. Although it is not so profitable, but it allows you to survive the whole year, it pays salaries.
“Although the cuisine in our restaurant is very tasty, the restaurant is closed due to the pandemic. We may invite you to visit us later,” awaits A. Liandsberg.
The start of the season is complicated
Ingrida Valaitienė, president of the Palanga Hotel and Restaurant Association, told Vakaru Ekspress that Palanga’s business had experienced a staff shortage problem since May.
“In May and the first week of June, we had a difficult situation,” said I. Valaitienė.
According to her, now the situation should gradually improve, as the students are already finishing their exams and can start working. However, students are rescued only to fill waiters, bartenders, and other highly skilled jobs.
There is also talk of seniors filling vacancies, but employers are reluctant to employ minors due to additional restrictions and increased risks.
“Of course, it is difficult to find chefs, highly qualified chefs,” says I. Valaitienė. This is especially true in the most luxurious restaurants, which are forced to resort even to specialized companies for the selection of employees.
“Selections and interviews are carried out, sometimes candidates do not meet the requirements, and it is not always suitable for candidates to be offered seasonal work,” notes I. Valaitienė.
According to her, employee turnover is an ongoing process, so it is often the case that people who have a temporary job then receive a permanent job offer.
“Employees of cafes and restaurants have been in forced downtime for a long time, therefore, there were many who did not want to return to work, because who should work, if it is possible to get money that way,” says I. Valaitienė .
According to her, due to the pandemic, some employees decided to completely leave the restaurant sector because they were intimidated by the situation and the uncertainty.
“The pandemic has seriously damaged the business of the catering sector,” says I. Valaitienė. According to her, it is already noticeable that due to the shortage of personnel and the changes in their behavior, employers were forced to increase wages.
More tips
Although a large part of the earnings of waiters or bartenders consists of tips, it is well-established practice that the basic salary of such employees is the official minimum.
“Every employer has an interest in retaining a good employee. Depending on the place, the owners know approximately how much the employee can charge and adjust the fixed part of the salary accordingly, ”reveals I. Valaitienė behind the scenes of commercial kitchen, noting that there are definitely places in Palanga where waiters officially earn more than the minimum.
“We have noticed that wages are growing in general. Everyone is following the situation on job search portals. There is a shortage of qualified employees, so employee expectations regarding wages have increased,” notes I. Valaitienė .
According to her, people demand higher wages also because they see that everything around them becomes more expensive, inflation increases, money depreciates.
Basin
© Tomas Sakalauskas
“It is becoming difficult for people to live, therefore increasing wages is a natural law,” concludes I. Valaitienė, president of the Palanga Hotel and Restaurant Association.
“For the second consecutive year, the Palanga Culture and Youth Center organized a remote event, where the possibilities of working in Palanga were presented directly to young people. The responsible institutions provided the necessary information, it was possible to ask, direct contacts were established between the company and potential employees ”, shares I. Valaitienė a good example.
According to her, in the past there were several companies in Palanga that brought workers from abroad.
“However, as far as I know, this year it was abandoned and prioritizes local employees,” says I. Valaitienė.
According to her, employees from abroad must be housed and when they hire Lithuanians they often find opportunities to live with relatives or acquaintances. It is true that some employers in Palanga take care of the accommodation of their employees. With the recent increase in the flow of people in the resort, the problem of staff accommodation has become very relevant, as it is more profitable to accommodate vacationers.
Resorts raise prices
A Klaipeda restaurant manager pointed out that the port city really has to compete for employees with surrounding resorts during the season. And higher earnings, albeit short-term, in the summer tempt many to change jobs.
“Most of them are young waiters who are not afraid of a heavy workload and are looking for an opportunity to earn a living,” said an interviewer for Western Express. According to him, older workers tend not to seek quick short-term earnings and opt for a stable job throughout the year. Another topic is the cooks. Resort restaurants pay chefs € 150 or more per day.
Therefore, there is a considerable problem when a specialist leaves a crowded team in a restaurant operating in Klaipeda and goes to Neringa or Palanga. Then, once the season has started, you have to find another employee, which is not a very easy task.
Looking through yours
The holiday restaurant Nida Seklyčia, which is popular with tourists, has more space this summer, as it has been forced to demolish the guesthouse.
“We have more space and space, so we need more employees: waiters, bartenders,” says Romas Kvaselis, director of Robala, who runs the restaurant. He emphasizes that when looking for employees, he does not place ads anywhere, but rather tries to spread information through his own and acquaintances, looking for people with recommendations.
“We have a stable core of permanent employees who work every season. We are looking for missing personnel, but it is not that simple. It is difficult to find employees for all positions ”, says R. Kvaselis. According to him, it is good that the rush is not forced so the season has not yet accelerated and enough employment is only on weekends.
“We hope that everything starts as usual, from Joniniai,” says R. Kvaselis.
According to him, it is common in Neringa for employers to take care of employee accommodation, because there is a big problem with accommodation in Neringa.
“Wages are growing, I can’t say exactly how much, but we are increasing,” says Kvaselis. According to him, it is difficult to plan business in Neringa not only because of the lack of employees, but also because of the exceptional coordination procedures in this unique corner of Lithuania.
“We want to build outdoor grills and sofas, everything needs projects. It’s difficult to plan, because we coordinated the paving project in the yard four times, ”R. Kvaselis shares his concerns.
In summary, the employers point out that every year a similar situation of labor shortages occurs in the coastal labor market. However, the pandemic and related public policies in support of companies and workers with losses have brought their own changes that force all parties to adapt.
On June 15, 2021, 157 vacancies were registered in companies in the catering sector operating in Klaipėda County. Almost half of them are for chefs. Almost a third of the ads are for jobs in Palanga.
Due to quarantine restrictions, many catering employers became more active in May in planning activities and starting employee searches. Last month, 329 vacancies were registered in the catering sector in Klaipėda County.
That is 27 percent. more than in April. Half of the job openings registered in May were for chefs, 21 percent. – for waiters, 11 percent. – for waiters.
In May, 228 job seekers from Klaipėda County held the dominant jobs in the restaurant industry. This is 2.5 times more than in April.
The Employment Service implements active labor market policies to help job seekers increase their employability and match supply and demand for labor. These measures are aimed at long-term employment.
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