Hoteliers in Kangra region face staff crunch

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, July 10

Since the tourism sector has opened up after a gap due to the Covid pandemic, hotel and restaurant industry of the Kangra region has been facing an acute shortage of skilled manpower.

Stakeholders said most people associated with the industry had returned to their native villages during the two-year-long pandemic period as most of the hotels and restaurants were closed during that time. They said skilled workers in the industry such as cooks and house keeping staff had taken up alternative jobs.

General secretary of Smart City Hotel and Restaurant Association of Dharamsala, Sanjeev Gandhi, said before the pandemic, he had a cook who had been working with him for more than a decade. During the pandemic, most of the staff was sent home. “My cook started his own meat shop in his village. Now, he is not willing to come back. I have somehow arranged staff from outside now but there is still shortage of skilled manpower in the industry,” he said.

Daleep, who runs a restaurant in lower Dharamsala, too, said there was an acute shortage of cooks, cleaners and waiters. “Due to the long Covid lockdown, most of the workers employed in the hotel and restaurant industry lost their jobs and returned to their native villages. One of my cooks was from Bengal. He returned to his state during the lockdown and is not ready to return now. Many youth who were employed as waiters or cleaners have taken up jobs under MGNREGA in their own villages,” he said.

Deepak, a teacher at a private institute that trains people for hotel and restaurant industry, said the shortage of staff in the industry was likely to be temporary. “As new student batches pass out from various hospitality institutes, the gap between the manpower demand and supply in the industry is likely to be filled,” he said.

Not ready to return

One of my cooks was from Bengal. He had gone to his state during the lockdown and is not ready to return now. Many youths, who were employed as waiters or cleaners, have taken up jobs under MGNREGA in their own villages . — Daleep, restaurant owner, Dharamsala

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