A recruitment shortage in the State's hotel and restaurant sector is expected to result in 9,000 job vacancies this summer, a survey has revealed.
The latest employment survey released by CERT, the State Tourism Training Agency, also showed unprecedented employment growth in the sector.
The "Employment Survey of Tourism and Catering Sectors in Ireland 1999" showed that 263,000 were employed last year, compared to 203,000 in 1996.
Speaking at the launch yesterday, CERT chairman Mr Eamonn McKeon said the biggest difficulty facing the sector was recruitment. Just over 60 per cent of hotels and 52 per cent of restaurants had immediate vacancies due to the shortage of skilled staff. "This will mean vacancies of between eight and nine thousand nationwide in the coming season . . . add to this the high turnover of staff and it is a problem," he said.
The tourism agency has initiated several programmes to tackle the issue and intends to target various pools of potential employees: married women returning to work, the long-term unemployed and school-leavers. Last year, 11,000 people were trained in schools, colleges and in industry, a third of whom were new entrants.
The survey showed that increasing numbers of foreign nationals are being used to bridge the recruitment gap. Over half of hotels and just over 40 per cent of restaurants are employing foreign workers as a way of overcoming staff shortages and these figures are expected to rise.
In response, CERT is currently developing an overseas induction pack covering customer care, operational hygiene and advice on living and working in the State. The pack will be published in Italian, Spanish and French.
Commenting on the staff shortages, Mr McKeon said poor rates of pay and long hours were "more of a perception than a reality" in the industry but that the industry had to become more creative in order to rise to the recruitment challenge. The minimum wage package announced by the Government yesterday would aid the process, he said.
According to the CERT survey, the industry shows no sign of slowing down - more than half of existing hotels and restaurants have plans for expansion in the future, leading to an increased demand for staff.
The Minister for Tourism, Dr McDaid, said he welcomed the massive growth in the sector, describing the figures as "encouraging", and acknowledged its contribution to the economy.
On recruitment, he said every opportunity would have to be used to attract people to this vibrant industry. "It is important that when new recruits do join, they find worthwhile jobs with satisfactory pay and conditions," he said.