Workers on the run, the new odyssey of the tourism sector

The lack of personnel in tourism continues to play havoc in the tourism sector. The informality generated by the pandemic – since many small entrepreneurs emerged on the streets from it – is affecting the entire value chain of the sector, mainly hotels and restaurants.

In the middle of the summer season, companies are still struggling to cover the different areas, and some establishments are even being forced to dispense with certain services as they do not have sufficient capacity to serve them.

But, have you wondered why the flight of tourism workers to other sectors?

Although informal employment and entrepreneurship are two factors that have caused this phenomenon, the truth is that people are leaving the workforce for various other reasons: health, moving to another city, personal problems, but above all, the lack of a quality job.

A good part of the tourist workers have left and cannot, or do not want to, return. And you can’t blame them either. Many of them, mainly those who came from other states, had to return to their places of origin when they were laid off at the beginning of the pandemic; others stayed home to care for their children, attending online classes; some live so far from their workplaces that they spend more on transportation than they would earn in a day, so they prefer to sell this or that to survive.

A few days ago, while talking with a collaborator at a hotel in Punta de Mita, he told me that he had been working there for just over three months, with a daily schedule of more than 8 hours and a one day off a week, with a “decent” salary, but that it is not enough to cover all his needs, so he is thinking of going back to attend the food business that he opened during the pandemic, with which he earns more and “without wearing him down so much.”

Given this situation, I reiterate what I already stated in another of my columns, the tourism sector is facing one of its greatest challenges after the pandemic, so it is necessary to act to ensure that people find their way back to the labor force, but yes, under better conditions.

It is time to encourage workers, to regain their confidence, and for them to stop seeing companies as unpleasant places to work and develop.

I give you an example. In the United States, a country that is facing a shortage of workers greater than that of Mexico – with at least 10.1 million vacancies available, according to the Department of Labor – companies have not only had to raise wages, but also offer a series of incentives ranging from monetary bonuses and more flexible schedules, to the payment of medical insurance and university careers.

It seems that companies are paying attention to President Joe Biden, who in June responded “pay them more” to a journalist’s question about the problems of companies finding labor.

It is true that the conditions in the United States and in Mexico are not the same, but you have to start somewhere, don’t you think?

What do you think? I read them.