“Although this problem is not specific to overseas territories, the dynamism of tourism employment remains limited and faces structural weaknesses : chronic recruitment difficulties, precarious working conditions and vulnerability to crises (sanitary, social, climatic), estimates a report from the Court of Auditors, who was interested in this subject for the first time.
Added to these constraints is intense international competition and a running out of steam in the seaside model inherited from past decades., which hamper the sustainable growth of activity. » While highlighting the “diverse” characteristics of tourist activity in the Overseas Territories, the Court notes several common findings. The quantification of tourism employment remains incomplete, and available data, already old, limit the capacity of communities to manage this policy in their territories (which is much less true in Reunion). Despite high unemployment, employers struggle to recruit due to the lack of attractiveness of professions and the mismatch of skills, and national employment and training systems do not meet the specific needs of the sector. Finally, “The growth of sustainable tourism and green jobs represents an opportunity, provided that training is adapted and employment is better articulated, tourism and sustainable development”, estimates the Court of Auditors.
