Spanish Hotels Seek Moroccan Workers to Ease Summer Labor Shortage

A few weeks before the high tourist season, hoteliers warn of a lack of staff to serve customers and are asking the government to organize massive recruitment of Moroccan seasonal workers as is the case during the berry campaigns. "We are studying the possibility of recruiting students from Moroccan hotel schools to work in establishments in Andalusia," said Antonio de María, president of the Cádiz hoteliers, on Tuesday, specifying that contacts have already been made with Moroccan authorities "who have favorably received this idea".

The official recalls that Andalusian employers in the hotel and restaurant sector had already called on Moroccan labor last summer due to the lack of trained candidates to fill the vacant positions. The problem of lack of qualified workers in the hotel industry also arises in Malaga. Unlike the Cádiz hoteliers, those in Malaga have opted for the professionalization of sector employees, with the aim of having qualified waiters and cooks in the long run. But they do not rule out the possibility of recruiting foreign labor either.

The objective of the Malaga hoteliers’ association is to create permanent jobs in the sector and show employees that they can have a future career in hotels and restaurants. Meanwhile, professionals are trying to cope with the influx of tourists expected during the high season in Andalusia. Just for Holy Week, 18,510 seasonal workers are announced in Andalusia, an increase of 17.3% compared to 2022 (15,786). By province, Cádiz will receive more seasonal workers (4,530) than Malaga (3,880), Seville (3,580), Jaén (1,710), Granada (1,470), Almería (1,160), Córdoba (1,160) and Huelva (1,020).