Ibiza’s hospitality industry: providing housing is vital to attract and retain workers

A necessity for employers and a serious problem. This year rent prices have risen and we are talking about an exorbitant cost. “Flats that last year cost 1,800 euros, this year cost 2,000”, more than a 10% increase.

Roig expects the expectations of a good season to be met, given that, this year, good economic results are a must. Between the cost of rents and the cost of food supplies with skyrocketing inflation, ibicencan companies cannot afford normal results.

That is why ABRE’s president warns that “costs this year will be a problem for small and medium-sized companies“. In this sense, he considers that the company that does not have a fixed and loyal staff “is going to have a very difficult time”. In spite of this, many companies need outside personnel to cover staffing levels. The strategy: offer accommodation.

“It is the only strategy, that and put salaries in line with the cost of living in Ibiza, because otherwise no one will come. The cost of living is much higher than on the mainland and even on other islands,” he says.

Housing is included in the salary as a payment in kind and is contracted directly through the company. A formula that, from the employer Pimeef, was also raised as an alternative for companies that, they claim, is bringing to market many empty homes. “There is the problem that many owners do not rent to individual workers, so it is the company that must rent”.

Hotels

A practice that has also become widespread among hoteliers in Ibiza. The Balearic president of the Spanish Association of Hotel Directors and Executives (AEDH) and delegate in Ibiza, Alicia Reinapoints out that the choice is for the rental housing to accommodate “the most qualified personnel coming from abroad”.

He explains that, this year, the supply of rental housing is greater than last year at this time. This formula is combined in some hotels with the fitting out of spaces for employees within the establishment itself.

“The large establishments that have the possibility of doing so are opting for this route,” he says, although he points out that this option has “certain conditions” when it comes to separating spaces for customers and employees that many hoteliers weigh before making the decision.

The obligatory need to be able to offer housing becomes “an added difficulty” because with the residents the demand for employment is not covered in summer “especially for the most qualified positions”. For Reina, the issue of housing has become the “workhorse” to cope with the lack of personnel. “We employers end up pulling solutions out from under the rocks,” he concludes.

400 beds for workers

From the chain Vibra Hotelsthe hotel has done a remarkable job this season of identifying all the facilities that could be used for the accommodation of employees. “At the moment we are finishing the work of fitting out the new rooms and, on the other hand, the refurbishment of the existing ones. We have nearly 400 beds for our workers“, explained the hotel chain.

A spokesman points out that in recent years they have been having problems in the hiring of kitchen staffthe difficulties are mainly due to the price of housing, which is a “decisive aspect for people who come from abroad”. These difficulties are mainly due to the price of housing, which is a “decisive factor for people coming from abroad”. That is why, in addition to elements that were already in place to build staff loyalty, such as career development, training within the company or social benefits, “offering accommodation” has become an essential element when it comes to contracting.

Between the months of February and April they focus the recruitment of the bulk of their staff through interviews and open days. At the end of this month, a meeting day will be held at the Hotel Vibra Mare Nostrum, for which candidates can register until the 28th at vibrahotels.com/jornadas.