Many hotels and restaurants in Germany are looking for workers, and it seems that the local workforce is not interested in this type of work. Help could come from abroad if the administration was not so slow with issuing visas.
“Germans no longer want to work in the hospitality industry”, says Muk Rerl, owner of the family-run restaurant that opened back in 1658 and bills itself as “the oldest restaurant in the world.” That’s why Rerl looked for workers abroad and eventually found them – and in Africa, he writes DW.
Eight months of waiting for a visa
But the road was thorny. The plan was for the three young Cameroonians to start working in September last year. Although the request was submitted to the German diplomatic mission back in June, the visas did not arrive until September.
“Of course, when things go like this, you can’t plan”, says Rerl.
This is not a problem only for him as an entrepreneur.
In the meantime, the owner of the apartments where the workers were supposed to be housed threatened to rent them to someone else. And after all, delays of several months, as in this case, entail organizational problems in the vocational school.
This is not an isolated case. Although the needs for personnel in the hotel and catering industry can be met by many candidates from other countries, it is difficult to match supply and demand.
“A very important point of contention is the issue of visas,” says Sandra Varden, director of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA).
Visa lottery
In some Balkan countries, for example, the number of visa applications is in some cases 150 times higher than the number of appointments offered by diplomatic missions. In the Balkans, there are tens, maybe even hundreds of thousands of those who have already found an employer in Germany who would accept them, but who cannot submit a request for a visa because they simply cannot get their turn.
Due to the large number of requests, the German Embassy in Pristina is now even cooperating with a private company in data processing. Due to the large number of requests, a lottery method has even been applied there since December – whoever is drawn, gets an appointment. Those who are unlucky remain without a visa in their passport.
The influx of visas in the Western Balkans is particularly large due to the rules that since 2016 have allowed those without qualifications to immigrate to Germany. The only requirement is an employment contract.
“These are particularly egregious examples, but there are also other parts of the world where the problem arises. For example, in India, China and Southeast Asia. Basically, a repeating pattern is noticeable: diplomatic missions do not see themselves as bodies responsible for welcoming culture and unbureaucratic visa issuance,” says Varden.
“There is often a prevailing negative attitude: ‘Oh my God, they all want to go to Germany?!'”
It is likely that many jobs will remain unfilled this summer as well
The lack of staff in the hotel and catering industry is not a new phenomenon, but the situation has drastically worsened during the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the catering industry. Last year, the staff shortage amounted to 11.8 percent, according to a statement recently published by the Federal Agency for Statistics.
The working conditions are demanding, and many jobs in the industry are “mentally and physically exhausting,” says Varden.
But on the other hand, last year, salaries in some cases increased by over 10 percent. Despite this, it is expected that many jobs will remain unfilled this summer. Scientists and qualified workers from abroad could solve this problem if it were not so complicated.
The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of these problems.
“We have already addressed the problem of partial long waits and lengthy processing of skilled worker and employment visa applications,” it was said at the request of Deutsche Welle.
“In the last few months, we created an action plan to speed up the visa regime, in which we defined the measures necessary to improve the situationi”.
What the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can implement within its jurisdiction is dealt with directly. That e.g. it includes the digitization of the application process. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also points to the new law on the immigration of skilled workers, which is currently going through the parliamentary procedure.
The ruling coalition parties, Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens have already stated in the coalition agreement: “We want to speed up the issuance of visas and digitize the issuance process.”
It’s not just about speeding up the process
For restaurateur Muk Rerl from Eilsbrunn, however, it is not only about speed but also about transparency. There is simply a lack of reliable information about the expected duration of the visa process.
The embassies are unavailable, and inquiries via e-mail are not answered.
“It’s not just about the fact that things have to go faster. A situation has to be created in which it will be possible to plan. If I know it will last half a year, then I can prepare for it”.
(Deutsche Welle/MONDO)