Vacancies in hospitality sector soar

Vacancies in the hospitality sector have risen by approximately 700% in the three months since November 2021, versus the same period last year. According to the Office of National Statistics, around 178,000 vacancies are currently unfilled. 

It’s thought that Brexit and the pandemic are contributing factors in the upsurge in vacant roles. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) said the figures show how “challenging” the industry’s staffing crisis is: 

“We are calling on the government to provide greater flexibility in current employment and skills initiatives to enable the sector to meet the challenges of recruiting and retaining a skilled and motivated…workforce to help the drive the economic recovery throughout the UK.”  

More Britons are entering the hospitality sector than ever before with 90,000 workers having left in the year 2020-2021; many EU hospitality workers chose to leave the hospitality industry on account of the pandemic’s impact on the sector, or as a result of new visa income requirements. 

Shortage of staff has led to an increase in wages for hospitality workers; the number of chef roles with salaries of over £50,000 has increased by 373% over the past year.