Horeca: workforce grows 9% above pre-covid levels

Horeca sector sees strong employment rebound

In Belgium, the horeca sector is experiencing a strong recovery. This summer, more and more Belgians are enjoying time on terraces or dining at their favorite restaurants. This renewed activity is driving an increase in employment across the hospitality sector.

According to recent data, employment in Belgian horeca has grown by over 40% compared to last year. Even more notably, the total number of people working in horeca today is 9% higher than before the covid crisis.

Despite this encouraging trend, businesses are still struggling to find qualified staff. Without the ongoing labor shortage, the workforce increase could have been even greater, according to Acerta.

Half of the workforce are students and flexi-job workers

Compared to the crisis years of 2020 and 2021, the number of permanent staff in horeca has also grown significantly. Currently, 42.4% of workers in the sector have a fixed-term or permanent contract.

During the mandatory closures, many of these employees were placed on temporary unemployment.

Flexible workers, including both students and flexi-job workers, now represent over half of the total horeca workforce (55.9%). Specifically, 34.4% are student workers and 21.5% are flexi-job workers.

Currently, only 1.7% of horeca workers remain on temporary unemployment.

The role of flexible workers in horeca

Amandine Boseret, horeca expert at Acerta Consult, highlights the importance of these flexible contracts:

"The share of permanent staff is almost back to pre-covid levels. While this is positive, the sector still faces a severe labor shortage, making recruitment challenging for hospitality operators.

Additionally, some permanent employees switched sectors during the pandemic to avoid being stuck on temporary unemployment. Meanwhile, student workers and flexi-jobs have also returned to pre-pandemic levels. These flexible workers, typically the last to return after a crisis, are coming back faster due to the departure of some permanent staff."

Managing horeca staff efficiently

Because horeca relies heavily on short-term workers such as students, flexi-jobs, and temporary staff, businesses need to build flexible schedules that match the reality of the sector.

With labor shortages ongoing, it is crucial to focus on employee retention by offering flexible working hours, attractive reward programs, and a strong focus on work-life balance.

For example, giving employees the option to request more or fewer shifts helps them manage their availability and personal commitments.

Timely communication of work schedules also plays a critical role, allowing employees to plan ahead and reducing last-minute absenteeism.

Tools like Shyfter help simplify scheduling, ensuring shifts are fairly distributed while respecting labor regulations. These solutions improve transparency and flexibility, both essential in today’s tight labor market.

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