Rooms for workers

HOTEL owners in Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands have announced plans to offer accommodation to their employees this summer due to the lack of available housing.

The inability to find somewhere to stay last year prevented many much­needed workers from travelling over from mainland Spain, which led to severe problems for the hotel, catering and nightlife sectors.

This has forced business managers to search for alternative solutions ready for the tourist season that starts in mid­April with the Semana Santa celebrations and continues until the end of September.

In addition, the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation (FEHM) is warning of a severe lack of qualified personnel in the local tourism sector and in all other productive areas, which they claim is linked directly to the housing shortage.

Another solution suggested by the FEHM is for businesses to offer all­year­round employment and not just for the six­month holiday campaign, in a bid to encourage qualified workers to stay on the island.