10/04/2013 00:00
TW
0
By Humphrey Carter

PALMA
THE Majorcan Federation of Hotel Businesses (FEHM) signed an agreement with the Balearic Job centre yesterday to hire long term, registered unemployed this summer season to boost their work forces.

The deal was struck yesterday between the Federation boss Inmaculada de Benito, the Balearic President Francesc Antich and the Minister for Tourism and Employment Joana Barcelo, and the government estimates that the agreement could lead to 11'000 new jobs being created at a time when the number of people officially out of work in Majorca is at a record high, despite having gradually fallen over the past four consecutive months.

The job centres are now going to begin examining who they have on their books, what their skills are and if they are suited to working in hotels. Their CVs will then be passed onto the participating hotel chains.

De Benito said yesterday that not only will this initiative help hotels recruit suitable employees this summer, it will also mean that the participating chains will soon have a large data base of potential employees which, if not hired this season, could be taken on in the future on part time, temporary basis to cover for holidays or illness.

As far as the government is concerned, not only is this agreement going to significantly reduce the number of people out of work and generate new hope for those on the dole, it also demonstrates that many of Majorca's hotel chains are aware of their social responsibility.

The Minister for Tourism and Employment, Joana Barcelo, said that this new pilot scheme is an important and innovative step forward for the tourist industry and the job centres.

The service sector has been one of the areas worst hit by the recession over the past two years and there are thousands of former hostelry and hotel sector employees out of work and suitably qualified and trained to take full advantage of the offer made by the FEHM Federation yesterday.

With this summer season forecast to be the best since 2007, the tourist industry believes that it is going to need to enlarge its workforce and the government estimates that the number of new jobs created over the summer could reach as high as 20'000 and that, in turn, will serve to boost domestic consumer confidence.