Until recently the president of the CAEB Restaurants Association, Alfonso Robledo says that restaurants are struggling to find staff because there are "people who prefer to live rather than work" in Mallorca.
The staff shortages that have been experienced since the pandemic have led in some cases to a reduction in the number of tables. Restaurants are having to come up with ways of balancing shifts, including closing for two days a week.
"The restaurant sector is not growing as much as it could do because of the lack of professionals. This in fact started before the pandemic; now every year it is more difficult to be able to get all the staff who are needed. But Covid did mark a before and after; people now prioritise living more than working."
Robledo insists that the lack of workers in the restaurant sector is not due to pay. "We have the best hospitality agreement in Spain." A typical salary is 1,500 euros net per month in 14 payments. However, he points out that tips have been reduced considerably, given that more and more customers now pay by card.
Working in a bar or restaurant can be hard. "When everyone else is partying, you are working." This is a reason why young people are turning their backs on the hospitality industry.
He explains that restaurants are looking more and more at employing people aged 50 and over. They can have problems finding employment in other sectors. "We are hiring them as they have experience, and they know what they want."
Robledo points to a familiar enough issue - the high cost of living in Mallorca and the Balearics, especially for housing, is one of the main reasons why people from the mainland no longer want to come to work. In Andalusia, which supplied many seasonal workers, there is now much higher demand for hospitality professionals. And there is another factor - Brexit. This resulted in young Britons not coming to work as waiters.