Portugal has a significant labor and tourism shortage, with the WTTC estimating that the sector is short of 85,000 workers this year and that 53,000 vacant jobs will remain vacant in 2022.
In a report released this Tuesday, December 28, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that 85,000 travel and tourism jobs remained vacant this year, across the country.
For the WTTC, the numbers are “alarming” and show the “significant impact” that a labor shortage can have on the Portuguese economic recovery.
The World Council uses data collected by Oxford Economics that analyzes labor shortages in Portugal and other major tourism markets, such as the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy and France, focusing on the period between July and December 2021 and 2022.
“All countries revealed significant labor shortages, as the supply of employment began to outpace the supply of available labor,” the World Trade Center says in a statement.
With unemployment rates low and demand increasing, companies in the travel and tourism sector have had “difficulties filling jobs” and the report shows that in Portugal, one in six job offers are left behind.
“Portugal’s economic recovery could be undermined if we don’t have enough people to fill these places as tourists return,” he said. Julia Simpson, President and CEO of WTTC, quoted in a statement.
The report shows that the shortage of labor began to increase in the second half of this year, especially in the summer months with the easing of restrictions, which increased pressure on the sector.
Next year, the WTTC estimates that the labor shortage will remain in the sector, but less. The organization expects that 53,000 vacant jobs in tourism and travel will remain vacant.
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