Record Employment Figures Show Hospitality ’s Growth Potential

A record 2 6 million people are now employed in accommodation and food ser vice , with the sector creating one in five new jobs, all despite crippling vacancies and staff shor tages

At its inaugural Workforce and Skills Seminar, UKHospitality will highlight the significant job creation taking place in the sector now and its potential to go even fur ther

Even with vacancies 64% higher than pre-pandemic levels, the sector continues to offer employment oppor tunities for all: from students and apprentices to over 50s and the economically inactive Hospitality can continue its strong record on employment with the right action at the Spring Budget

UKHOSPITALITY IS ASKING THE CHANCELLOR TO:

• Reform the Apprenticeship Levy to enable funding to be used for other forms of training and to change its operation to offer greater flexibility to employers and employees over training – and incentivise economically inactive people into work

Implement minor, shor t-term immigration reforms to counter the sales being lost due to labour shor tages, par ticularly abolishing or reducing the Immigration Skills Charge and offering more flexibility to students to work longer hours

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The ability of hospitality businesses to create more than 20% of new jobs in the past year, in the face of extraordinar y cost pressures, is testament to its resilience and ability to battle against the odds

Employing a record number of people is something we should all be proud of, especially when those figures don’t include the hundreds of thousands employed in broader contract catering, leisure and visitor attractions

“If we can do this now, just think what we can do in calmer economic times We can be the engine behind significant job creation and economic growth, offering ever yone oppor tunities to enter the workplace , fur ther their career or return from being economically inactive

“I’m pleased that we have the Hospitality Minister joining us today and I hope he leaves convinced that if the Government helps our sector in the Budget, through Apprenticeship Levy reform or minor changes to immigration policy it will be empowering a sector that is ready to deliver many times over for the nation ”