Chefs at Lake Balaton could ask for a salary of HUF 1 million
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A few months ago, restaurants and hotels were forced to dismiss thousands of workers due to the coronavirus setback; however, with the start of the summer season, the situation seems to be the exact opposite: there is a massive labour shortage in the industry.
According to RTL, there are already as many tourists in the resorts on the weekends as there were before the coronavirus. After the third wave, record traffic is expected in popular lakeside locations, like near Lake Balaton and Lake Tisza.
While the KSH data suggests that the average salary of those working in the catering industry was still around HUF 168,500 net in March, László Kovács, the president of the Hungarian Catering Industry Association, told RTL that chefs (who usually do not receive any tips in addition to their salary) can now ask a net wage of HUF 1 million at restaurants near Lake Balaton.
However, there are very few restaurants that can provide such a salary for their employees.
Labour shortages cause the rise in wages. RTL says 20,000 jobs are vacant in the profession, while Pénzcentrum suggests that
20% of the jobs in the catering sector are vacant.