Romanian Black Sea Resorts Face Labour Shortage

Romania's Black Sea resorts are set to start their 2018 tourist season this weekend, with over 40,000 visitors expected to head to the seaside for the traditional May 1 break.

But local entrepreneurs say they may have a hard time coping with the influx because of the unprecedented shortage of staff.

Hotels and restaurants are still looking to recruit over 5,000 people to work as chefs, cleaners, waiters, bartenders and baristas, which means that less than 50 per cent of the positions have been filled only days before the season starts on May 1.

"It is the most serious shortage we've faced in 28 years," the head of the Romanian Federation of Tourism Employers, Mohammad Murad, said in Constanta on Monday.

He was speaking after a meeting with Tourism Minister Bogdan Trif, where local authorities and entrepreneurs debated the staff shortage as well as other developments in the Black Sea resorts.

Trif said that developing the resorts was one of the ministry's priorities and that he planned to establish a school to train workers in the hospitality sector.

But businesses say more training alone will not solve the problem of staff shortages.

"It's more and more difficult to find people," Tudor Constantinescu, owner of a bar in Constanta, said.

"Most of the qualified personnel have left the country to work for better pay in hotels abroad or on cruise ships. Once they are trained, they will continue to do so, in search of better pay," he predicted.

He said he hires students for the summer season to cope with the influx of tourists.

But, because of the personnel shortage, applicants are demanding higher wages, which most owners can't afford, he noted.

Pay varies according to the quality of the restaurant or...