Between a forced closure of two and a half months in spring 2020, then four and a half months until the terraces reopened on 7 April, the hospitality sector has been hard hit by the measures taken as a response to the covid-19 pandemic. 

According to Statec, the hospitality industry has seen its workforce shrink by 8.3% over one year, which would make it the worst-hit sector in terms of human resources, ahead of industry (-2%) and commerce (-0.4 %). Although support measures exist, including partial unemployment, some employees have preferred to switch gears and consider other sectors.

From waitress to real estate agent

This is the case of Aurora, 23, who put away her serving apron in an Italian restaurant in hopes of becoming abusiness broker in real estate, while awaiting a real estate agent training course.

It was a decision that came about through a particular combination of circumstances: at the beginning of 2020, the young woman decided to work in the restaurant business in Portugal. But once the health crisis broke out, she returned to the greater region, just before the borders closed. 

The former waitress first switched to selling smartphones, then developed a taste for real estate.

"I miss catering a bit: we get attached to this way of life, it's very interesting because you meet a lot of people," she explains.

In real estate, what appeals to Aurora is also client contact, coupled with the aspect of being able to help others with their search.

Two strings to his bow

Franck too has taken a liking to his new profession: the former assistant manager in a trendy local brewery decided to enter construction. "Catering is my pleasure. On one hand, I regret that I left,” he explains. “But on the other hand, I gained in quality of life, my salary is higher; I have my evenings, my weekends, my holidays,and I can start to create my life.”

First put on a forced shutdown at the start of spring confinement, the 28-year-old Frenchman in June 2020 ended his 13-year career in the restaurant business.

“I was told to wait. Except at one point you have to pay the bills. And since I have two degrees, one of which is in construction, I converted to construction," he explains.

However, the former manager does not intend to turn his back definitively on the restaurant sector: he plans to return to it--on this own account, but only after the health crisis is over.

22,500 employees in Luxembourg

The phenomenon is difficult if not impossible to quantify in Luxembourg, but in France, for example, nearly 100,000 catering professionals could leave when the sector reopens in mid-May, according to an estimate by the newspaper Les Echos.

Uncertainties, lack of prospects and the weight of health restrictions would push some catering professionals to leave the sector. "I am not going to tell you that this is not the case, but we have many employees who are happy to be in our sector," says François Koepp, secretary general of the Horesca Federation.

The activity counts 22,500 employees in Luxembourg, but not without difficulty in terms of recruitment--and this was the case even before the covid-19 pandemic, as many restaurateurs admit.

"It's difficult to have a perspective, it is difficult to plan openings and therefore recruitments," admits Alexandre De Toffol, a restaurant entrepreneur about to open a bar in the centre of the capital. 

"Job offers are slowly picking up here," says Koepp, for whom "we have a little trouble recruiting, but it's like that throughout Europe."

Which outlets?

It remains to be seen where these former hospitality workers will go. It is impossible to draw a general conclusion, but among the big winners of the health crisis were some retailers, whose shelves were emptied once confinement began. Cactus is therefore witnessing an influx of candidates from the catering industry.

"These candidates are very interesting, because they are used to time constraints and have a sense of customer service... a major asset for us," its human resources department highlights.

The retailer said, however, that while the phenomenon is not new, it is more pronounced than usual. Indeed, in the absence of any imposed closures and in the face of a growing resident population, supermarkets retain significant appeal.

This article was published in French on Paperjam and has been translated and edited for Delano.