Faced with the shortage of staff, the catering sector is trying to adapt before the summer

Stéphane Burgatt 11:56 a.m., May 19, 2022

REPORT

They are ringing the alarm bell.

As the fine weather returns, restaurant owners are short of manpower.

200,000 positions are to be filled in France.

The job no longer attracts and it's not just cafes or breweries that are affected.

The high gastronomy sector is also struggling to recruit.

In Marseille, chefs and restaurateurs are worried as the summer season approaches.

A breathtaking view of the Old Port and a starred chef are no longer enough to refuel, laments Ludovic Tura, chef.

Cold sweats before summer

"No, that's not enough. Today, I have revised all the salaries upwards. Before, I was doing eleven services a week and now I only do ten. I sat on one service per week. wish to improve the quality of life of my employees. As a result, they have two consecutive days off", he explains on Europe 1.

Jean-Philippe Carmona, director of Victory Interim, has cold sweats as summer approaches and major events such as the Cannes Film Festival.

Indeed, it is still not able to satisfy all its customers.

>> Find Europe Matin in replay and podcast here

Training of unskilled employees

"It's very complicated. I can cite a palace in Marseille where there is a shortage of about 50 staff members. Yes, we are tearing our hair out, we can no longer look to the hotel school in general. Inevitably, we are obliged to seek it elsewhere".

Indeed, the solution may lie in the training of unqualified employees, like Alexis, 18, high school student.

"I have never studied hospitality. I was trained little by little by making cocktails. I do that really on the side, in a complementary way", says the young man on Europe 1. And in the high-end catering sector, 250 waiter and director positions are to be filled in the Marseille region.