70,000 Jobs Remain Unfilled in France’s Travel and Tourism Sector, WTTC Says
At the same time, the global tourism body has pointed out that job supply may fail to match increased travel demand across the sector, which is also estimated to be close to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the third quarter of 2022.
Such data also show that France is expected to see a shortage of 71,000 jobs, with one in 19 vacancies remaining unfilled this year.
Before the pandemic began, more than 1.3 million people were employed in the Travel and Tourism sector in France. Meanwhile, by 2020, nearly 175,000 had lost their jobs.
France’s recovery began in 2021 when a 40.6 per cent increase in the sector’s contribution to the national economy was seen.
According to the WTTC analysis, France’s aviation industry is expected to be among the worst hit, as the country is struggling to find candidates for nearly one in three or 38 per cent of job vacancies. In comparison, travel agencies could also face a third or -39 per cent of staff shortages.
In this regard, President and CEO of WTTC Julia Simpson said that the sector needs more staff in order to fulfil the current demand. According to her, the widespread travel disruption being experienced by millions of French holidaymakers is clear evidence of this.
“If these 71,000 jobs remain unfilled, they could threaten the revival of Travel & Tourism businesses up and down the country, which have struggled for more than two years from the impact of the pandemic,” she pointed out.
Simpson also added that if these 71,000 jobs remain unfilled, they could threaten the revival of the Travel and Tourism businesses that have struggled for more than two years from the damage caused by the pandemic.
Another recent analysis by WTTC has also revealed that a total of 50,000 travel and tourism jobs across Portugal are expected to remain unfilled.
As the WTTC explains, before the pandemic in 2019, more than 485,000 people were employed in Travel and Tourism in Portugal, while compared to 2020, it saw the loss of over 80,000 jobs.
