Over 93,000 EU workers left the UK’s hospitality sector in the last year, according to a report from Caterer.com.

The net loss of 93,000 EU workers suggested a shift in the industry’s workforce since the pandemic and Brexit.

The report found that some areas are likely to be particularly affected by this loss, with reports suggesting that the percentage of EU workers pre pandemic was as high as 75% in London.

Caterer.com analysed thousands of vacancies and applications as well as gathering the views of 250 hospitality employers and 2,0000 consumers. The study also highlighted how the industry has adapted and boosted company benefits to attract different talent after the steep rise in available jobs since the reopening of the sector.

Vacancies on Caterer.com have grown by 342% since the re-opening of hospitality (comparing July 2021 to March 2021) as employers rushed to rebuild their teams for reopening and this need has continued to climb with over 28,179 roles currently available on the site.

Caterer.com ‘s report found that 90% of hospitality employers pay above the living wage and, in response to shifting demands from the labour market, 58% of hospitality employers have increased their benefits package in the last year. Other pay and work-life benefits currently offered by the vast majority of hospitality employers include bonuses (80%), personal development programmes (81%), flexible shift patterns (83%) and free meals (77%).

As the industry adapts to attract new talent, 60% of hospitality employers say they are now getting more applications from UK workers than ever before.

In a reverse of last year when many workers took on temporary jobs in other sectors during forced closures, 67% of employers are seeing staff who left the hospitality industry during lockdown, now return from other sectors and over half (56%) have hired new staff from other sectors in the last three months.

Kathy Dyball, Director at Caterer.com commented: “It’s encouraging to see more UK workers entering the industry as people see the valuable, long-term employment opportunities hospitality can offer. However, talented EU workers remain an essential part of the sector’s success and we join the industry in calling for the government to urgently make it easier for hospitality talent to return to the UK.

“The staff shortages the sector has been grappling with have only been exacerbated by recent ‘pingdemic’ and staff being taken out of work at no notice. Yet again this is a case of the sector needing more attention from the government to be able to trade profitably,” Dyball said.

Source: Staffing Industry Analysts