Spain's hospitality sector is drowning in its own low wages

The hospitality sector dug its own grave with poverty wages

A Michelin-starred restaurant from Galicia, Arbóre da Veira, prides itself on its cuisine yet recruits staff through Jobtoday. The scene captures the sector's contradiction: businesses that earn enough revenue but refuse to invest in proper recruitment. They are the ones paying the price.

When the restaurateur became his own HR department

Twenty-five years ago, in cities like Barcelona, recruitment agencies charged around €300 per candidate and offered a three-month trial period. The screening was professional, candidates arrived properly vetted, and employment relationships started with far less friction. Today, platforms like InfoJobs or Jobtoday have removed that intermediary. The result is that self-employed owners who cannot tell a good profile from a bad one hire blindly, and then blame the market.

Frozen wages and professionals who say no

Typical job offers range between €1,200 and €1,500 gross. Wages have been stagnant for some 26 years, according to industry professionals themselves. Meanwhile, a qualified waiter says he earns more working part-time —€1,250— than many full-time offers, and dismisses without a second thought any ads that barely exceed the minimum wage. Those who can choose, do choose.

The hospitality industry has swapped its HR department for an app and staff loyalty for the minimum wage set by the sector's collective agreement. There is no mystery behind the staff shortage; what is truly baffling is the sector's surprise. With this hiring policy, how many restaurants need to close before the recipe changes?