In the end, word of mouth was the most effective solution. At the last minute, Nadia Savonnière and her husband ended up finding, at the end of June, the seasonal workers they needed to save their summer. Nevertheless, these owners of a hotel located in Méréville (Meurthe-et-Moselle), south of Nancy, recognize it: if they have succeeded, it is thanks to their network. “These are three students aged 19 to 20 who all come from our village”, says the boss, who says she didn’t even check if they had any training.
Because 2023 is nothing like other years. The subcontracting company to which the couple has been dealing for more than ten years to recruit maids did not have any candidates to offer them this time. “People show up for the meeting, then we don’t see them again afterwards”, explains M.me Savonniere. Another unprecedented fact, while the recruits worked from May to September, this year, they are only available for two months at most. With, in addition, schedules arranged over the period: “In the height of summer, seasonal workers usually took one day and two half-days off per week. This year, their week is limited to four working days. »
These tourism professionals are far from being the only ones to have had to change their habits. If the situation seems to have improved compared to 2022 in terms of recruitment in campsites – where four out of five employees are seasonal workers – in hotels and restaurants, it remains much more contrasted. “Despite the efforts that have been made, 45% of our hoteliers have more difficulty recruiting than last year”deplores Karim Soleilhavoup, general manager of the Logis Hotels group, which hires 30,000 seasonal workers each summer.
The reason ? According to him, it is due to demands that are increasingly difficult to satisfy. “Before, the spirit was to play collectively”, he assures, referring to the sharing of living quarters. Today, waiters, receptionists, bartenders and other employees want “separate their personal life from their work”, “ have their “home sweet home””, “being able to take their pet with them”, “to be fed on the spot” and, if possible, “do not work at night”he lists, a bit taken aback.
Disadvantages of work in cut
Since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the million seasonal workers hired each summer in France know how to be more desired. “Professionals in the sector are very clearly suffering the backlash of the bad practices that have been carried out in recent years, sometimes leading to abuse”notes Stéphanie Dayan, national secretary CFDT-Services, for whom “It’s a fair return of things”.
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