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The German catering industry lost many employees during the Covid 19 pandemic. Although the number of employees increased by 12.5 per cent in 2022, it is still more than a tenth less than in the pre-pandemic year 2019, namely 11.8 per cent. This was announced by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
Due to the long business closures and restrictions during the pandemic, many workers lost their jobs and moved permanently to other industries. While establishments offering food were better able to retain their staff and currently have 9.5 per cent fewer employees than in 2019, bar enterprises such as bars and pubs were hit particularly hard. They still had a fifth fewer employees last year than in 2019, even though they increased staffing levels by more than a third compared to 2021. In addition, there is a shortage of junior staff. For cooks and restaurant specialists, the decline in training contracts is around 20 per cent, for system catering specialists almost a tenth compared to 2019.
The number of employees in the catering industry subject to social insurance contributions fell by almost ten per cent compared to 2019, and that of marginally paid employees by as much as 23 per cent. The catering industry is currently dependent on marginally paid workers for about one third of its workforce. In bar enterprises, they even account for more than half of the employees.
In 2021, a total of 1.01 million people were employed in the sector in Germany, which is almost 15 percent less than in the pre-Corona year 2019.
(al / Source: Destatis)