JOBS GALORE: Donegal is reopening but staff shortages are a very real fear

A major recruitment drive is underway as Donegal reopens for business. 

There is certainly a celebratory mood throughout the county with most Covid-19 restrictions now lifted. Despondency and frustration are being replaced with a sense of optimism that our local economy is being reignited.  

As businesses open the doors and look towards preparing for the year ahead, recruitment is underway across many sectors. And while this is great news for those looking for work or considering a career change, it is an anxious time for many business owners. 

Cllr Micheál Naughton is manager of the Clanree Hotel. He is delighted with the positivity and the sharp rise in bookings since the government’s announcement last week.

“It is looking very positive for the season ahead,” he said. “The phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”

But Cllr Naughton knows all too well the challenges that are now being faced by his own industry.

“That is the biggest fear for everybody,” he said. “Will we get the staff back to the bigger numbers that we will need?

“It is more and more of a challenge to find staff, particularly to meet the new level of demand with everything opening up.

“If you have up to 1,000 people in for a concert or 350 for a wedding, that is a lot of extra pressure. The big thing is the workforce. They are very hard to come by.”

He is also aware that the last two years have been very difficult for a lot of people, and many are not ready to return to work at full throttle.

“Unfortunately people have a lot of stress in their life, they don’t want to be under pressure,” said Cllr Naughton.

“So we have to monitor that too. It will come back gradually, but for the short term it is something that a lot of people are dealing with that we as employers have to be aware of.”

The industry has seen many skilled hospitality staff go into entirely different careers over the last two years, and there has been great difficulty attracting new people into the sector.

So what can be done to make hospitality - a huge part of the economy in Donegal - more appealing as a career rather than a stop gap holiday job?

“I have been saying for a while that hospitality is painted in a dim light here in Ireland,” said Cllr Naughton. 

“People talk about hard work and unsociable hours. 

“But it can be a very rewarding career. A lot of people have made a very good living out of hospitality. Head chefs, marketing people, heads of departments, managers, they can earn €35,000 to €70,000 and even more in some cases.

“The guards, nurses, they all work weekends as well. You don’t hear people talking about going into the guards and complaining about unsociable hours.”

Cllr Naughton believes employers have a responsibility to rethink work practices in order to make the sector more appealing.

“There is a big onus on us to look at flexi hours and things like that,” he said. 

“That is something that I have been chatting to my own team about.

“People could choose to work their hours over four days. Or for people who have kids at home, they might want to work a few mornings a week. People want to have a life. We have a responsibility to help find that balance. 

“This is a good time to really look at the sector and see how we move forward.”

It is not just the hospitality industry that is recruiting. Shops and services are taking on new staff as people make a tentative move away from the restrictions of the last two years. 

And with the mica redress scheme expected to come into effect soon, there will be a major rise in construction jobs and associated trades and services. 

Cllr Naughton believes that this current recruitment boom could be a great opportunity for people considering a move to Donegal.

“We had a lot of people who were home on visits over the last two years as well as people who came here for the first time,” he said.

“They saw for themselves what a great place it is.

“We have a lot to offer here in Donegal, particularly in terms of a better quality of life.”