Jobs in Hospitality - Combatting the skills shortage.

The hospitality industry is the third largest employer in the UK, however it still frequently faces labour and skills shortages nationwide. In fact, 21% of hospitality businesses have reported that their current team lacks essential skills.

For such an enormous (and growing) industry, it is crucial that these shortages are understood and addressed.

So, why is there a shortage of skills in hospitality?

Keeping hold of good people

A huge issue that exists within the industry is staff retention. Many hospitality employees are either transient workers (they’re getting themselves through school or picking up some extra cash on the side), or they’re put off by the sector’s reputation for low wages and/or poor working conditions.

The constant use of resources and money from training budgets to continuously recruit and train new members of staff can sometimes mean less training and development opportunities and budget for the rest of the team, who have been with the business for longer periods.

Cost of living

The cost of living crisis has pressured many people back into the workforce to ensure their financial stability; in a survey of 2,000 older adults, one third took on a job to supplement their pension during the cost of living crisis. And, according to Aviva, since March 2022, one in five Brits took on a ‘side job’ to supplement their income. Of those, almost a third say it was to ‘make ends meet’ (30%) or pay off debt (18%).

Whilst working in hospitality can be a great part-time job, many of these new recruits may not have worked a day in their lives on the restaurant floor; therefore, lacking essential skills required for the role.

Hanging up your cocktail shaker in retirement

There is also a generational consideration with skill shortages; experienced employees who have worked in hospitality for decades are now entering retirement age. Though these older generations aren’t solely responsible for all the skills in hospitality, their experience being removed from the workforce may be creating a negative impact on the industry as a whole.

Post-all the big stuff (We’re trying not to mention Brexit and the pandemic, but they happened and have had an impact).

A study showed that, as of 2022, almost 200,000 members of the hospitality industry have left the country since Brexit and Covid.

It’s no secret that a lot of British hospitality is supported by people from across the globe, and specifically the EU, so the exit of Britain from the EU and a worldwide pandemic unfortunately resulted in thousands of talented individuals returning to their native country.

However, hospitality has shown faster economic growth than any other sector. As UK Hospitality writes, the industry could increase its economic contribution by £29 billion and create 500,000 new jobs by 2027.

What is being done to combat the skills shortage in hospitality?

Training schemes & apprenticeships

Training schemes are a smart addition to a hospitality recruitment strategy, as they stimulate quick growth as well as filling job vacancies.

To remedy the loss of skilled workers to retirement, upskilling the next generation through apprenticeships and training schemes is a great place to start. Often misunderstood as preferring life behind a screen, Gen-Z actually desire face to face communication in the workplace and crave learning and development opportunities.

Similarly, offering training schemes to the older generations who have re-entered the workforce during a period of financial instability would help the industry double-down on upskilling. This is a key age group to target as, according to Modern Hospitality, over 165,000 workers aged 50+ have joined the industry in the last three years.

Training schemes are also a great resource you can use for every new recruit to ensure consistency across your team’s skills, therefore maximising the customer’s experience.

We wrote a whole post dedicated to hospitality apprenticeships which you can read here.

Utilise technology

Technology can be used for a myriad of things to help combat the skills shortage in hospitality.

Specific recruitment tools exist to help you filter candidates based on skills and experience, saving you a lot of time in the hiring process.

Training and development apps or tools are a great way to upskill your team, especially if you haven’t got the time to design a training programme of your own. These apps are also often gamified and user-friendly to make for a more enriching experience.

Prioritise staff retention

Focusing on retaining and upskilling existing staff members seems obvious but can often get overlooked. It can be attractive to search elsewhere when trying to build a skillful team, rather than utilising and developing the assets your business already has.

Not only are they beneficial for your business’ reputation, but high staff retention rates are also a massively cost-effective solution to the skill shortage in hospitality. A 2022 study showed that the hospitality sector spends a whopping £22bn a year on recruitment.

Appreciating and rewarding staff for their service is fundamental to staff retention; people need to feel valued and paid fairly if you want them to give their best.

You can read more about how to attract and retain talent in our previous post.

Make hospitality desirable

The dream is to have people hammering on your door asking for a job, already skilled up and ready to go. But how do we go about achieving this? We create a job that they desire.

As Gen-Z’s are entering the workforce, it's crucial to understand what they want from a job in order to attract and retain them. Many individuals who seek roles in hospitality have a passion and a craving for the unpredictability, the people, and the rush that comes from the fast-paced environment.

After witnessing generations of burn-out and outdated ways of working, Gen-Z value flexibility, clear career progression and making an impact (whether that be socially or environmentally)

In an era of greater mental health awareness, it is now expected that employers listen more to their staff and enact appropriate change when prompted. Though hospitality isn’t for the faint-hearted, and likely never will be, there are actionable changes that can be made to attract and retain young talent.

If you can ensure you are championing mental health awareness, and following through on that promise, you are more likely to build a motivated and engaged workforce.

Get creative with scheduling so that employees have the option of more flexible working. Consider assessing your brand’s mission or core values: Gen-Z’s want to make a meaningful contribution to the wider world through their work, rather than just turn a profit.

We work in a unique industry where people are passionate about offering great service and delivering amazing experience to customers. If these passionate and driven people are supported, trained and motivated they will be your most valuable assets as your business grows.


~~

At Classeq, we are passionate about the growth and success of the hospitality sector. That’s why we are committed to providing you with content that explores every juncture of the hospitality journey from the distribution of catering equipment right through to the patron’s plate.

If there is a topic you’d like us to explore further, do let us know. Otherwise, view our full content library here, or speak to a member of the team today. Whether it’s a new machine you need, or technical support, our team is ready to assist.