Dear friends,
I would like to welcome you to today's conference on the shortage of human resources in the hospitality sector and thank the Deputy Minister of Tourism Mr.Savvas Perdio for the invitation to attend and address the conference. I would also like to welcome the Deputy Minister of Tourism of Greece, my friend Sophia Zacharaki, and to thank her warmly for her presence and for her constant support on issues related to the responsibilities of her Ministry.
It is known to all that tourism is one of the main sources of income for our country. For this very reason, we must continue our efforts to further upgrade, promote and highlight the quality of our tourism product, so that our tourism industry can compete effectively with cheaper tourist destinations. This quality is directly linked to the service offered by the human resources employed in the hospitality sector, as well as to the experiences that visitors have at every stage of their stay in the destination.
Investing in human capital is the core of European policy and the means to the social and economic prosperity that every state and every citizen desires and seeks. Human capital is the most valuable factor of production for the Cypriot economy, which is currently on a steady upward trend, with the unemployment rate falling significantly.
We are well aware that the most effective measure against unemployment is growth. Tourism, which relies heavily on the "human factor" to offer a quality tourism experience to foreign and local visitors, can make a decisive contribution to the absorption of our unemployed citizens.
This is why one of the Government's main objectives is the creation of a modern and flexible labour market and a well-trained workforce capable of responding effectively to the ever-increasing challenges and demands of our tourism industry and the economy. This intervention was crucial for the industry, which was hugely affected by the health crisis of covid 19.
The Department of Labour, through the Public Employment Service, has taken on the important role of activating the job-seeking workforce and supporting employers seeking staff. As a major player in the labour market, the Department aims to effectively address the challenges of labour supply and demand, challenges that have multiplied in recent years due to the pandemic and its negative impact on the economy.
At this point, I would also like to highlight the responsibility and seriousness that, as always, both employers and employees demonstrate when dealing with such situations, which also inspires confidence in dealing with the current In particular, the number of job vacancies in 2022 was 7,689 while the average number of registered unemployed in the hotel economic activity for 2022 was 2,650. The corresponding figures in 2021 were 6,915 job vacancies and 4,622 unemployed persons. An important role in increasing the attractiveness of the sector for employees is played by the fact that important employment conditions in the sector are legislated.
As part of the measures promoted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance to encourage people to stay in employment, to improve the professional skills of employees in the tourism industry and, by extension, to upgrade the tourism product of Cyprus, the Training Plans for Employees in Hotels and Leisure Centres are included.
In the framework of the measures promoted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance to encourage people to stay in employment, to improve the professional skills of employees in the tourism industry and, by extension, to upgrade the tourism product of Cyprus, the Training Plans for Employees in Hotels and Leisure Centres are included. The main objectives of these Plans are to improve the professional skills of workers in the tourism industry and to reduce the period of temporary suspension and the number of workers affected by it.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is obvious that the contribution of human resources to the further qualitative improvement of the hotel industry and to the increase in the number of tourists visiting our country is decisive. Conferences such as today's, with the collective reflection that will be developed and the conclusions that will be drawn, are a beneficial contribution to building the desired culture for human resources in the hospitality sector. I wish you every success in the work of the Conference. Andreas Zachariadis.
(ΕΠ/ΙΚ)
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