In June, there were almost 20% more people working in the hospitality industry than a year ago, an analysis of 2,500 Belgian businesses by HR services company Acerta shows.
Four out of ten workers in the sector are on fixed contracts, three out of ten work as students, while flexi-jobs account for almost a quarter of hospitality staff.
Flexi-job workers are up sharply on previous years, notes Acerta. Their proportion has risen in one year from one in five to just under one in four.
“To cope with labour shortages and seasonal fluctuations, it is good that the hotel and catering industry can count on students and flexi-jobs,” notes Olivier Marcq, legal expert at Acerta Consult.
“However, it is still important for a catering business to have a sufficiently solid base of permanent staff," he explains. "A fixed contract can make the sector more attractive as a main employer.”
According to Acerta, public authorities have been coming up with financially advantageous measures to encourage fixed contracts.
