Gastronomy - More rest days in the gastronomy of Saxony-Anhalt
Chefs in Saxony-Anhalt are increasingly forced to take days off due to persistent staff shortages. "Fundamentally, the conditions need to change," explained Michael Schmidt, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga), in response to a query. Since the start of the year, when the value-added tax rate was raised from 7 to 19 percent, the catering industry has been grappling with significant efficiency issues. Additionally, high energy and food costs pose a challenge for long-term business planning. To ease the burden on businesses, the value-added tax on food was reduced during the corona period.
Jobs in the catering industry need to become more attractive
Schmidt further emphasized that the service industry in Germany has a significant image problem. The appeal of jobs in the catering industry needs to be enhanced. To counteract this negative perception, the Investment and Marketing Corporation recently signed two cooperation agreements with Dehoga. One of the goals is to attract trainees from Vietnam for the hospitality industry.
Smaller companies particularly affected
The Food, Beverages, and Catering Union (NGG) confirmed that many hotels in Saxony-Anhalt can no longer operate their kitchens in the evenings due to staff shortages. "Restaurants are no longer opening for lunch or dinner, or they are taking entire days off," said union secretary Torsten Craemer. This leads to the high costs no longer being covered: "It's a vicious cycle." If jobs in the catering industry are not made more attractive, for example through collective agreements and higher wages, there will be an increasing number of business closures in the future, according to Craemer. Particularly smaller, rural companies are affected by this.
The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga), led by Michael Schmidt, is actively seeking to improve the appeal of jobs in the catering industry due to its significant image problem. Smaller, rural companies within this sector are suffering the most from the persistent staff shortages and are forced to take entire 'days off'.
