Published on: 05/11/2021 – 14:39Amended: 05/11/2021 – 14:41

Sébastien Bazin, boss of the world’s sixth-largest hotel group, told French radio RMC that Accor currently lacks at least 2,000 employees in France as the tourism market begins to recover and foreign visitors return, but remain still well below before. pandemic levels.

He said many employees did not come back “because they thought about things during the lockdown, because they moved, changed professions, were no longer ready to accept the sacrifice of working hours “.

The hospitality industry in many countries has complained about the difficulty of rehire staff and some employers are trying to attract workers with higher wages.

But Bazin said that was only part of the problem.

“If I have to pay more, will that be enough?” No. Am I able to do this? No, that’s the problem.

Bazin urged the government to cut payroll taxes on new hires to help the sector return to full activity.

“The whole hotel industry is on its knees,” he said and must be able to accommodate returning tourists in order to survive.

Bazin also said the industry needs to consider how it can change to make its jobs more attractive, especially in terms of inconvenient work schedules, noting that it is struggling to recruit despite comprehensive training programs.

Accor brings together luxury brands like Raffles and Sofitel, upscale Pullman and budget Ibis and F1 hotels. It employs 260,000 people in 110 countries and 5,200 hotels.

(AFP)