The hospitality sector is one of the key drivers of the UK economy, generating £130 billion revenue each year and employs 2.9 million people, including a large number of EU citizens.

One in 10 hospitality employees are considering leaving the UK due to Brexit, that’s 11% of all people working in UK hotels, restaurants, bars and catering generally according to a survey conducted by YouGov. Almost a third of managers already think they will have to pay higher salaries and nearly a quarter think they will will experience labour shortages.

What does this mean? Already, enlightened employers are taking action by training or upskilling staff, looking at recruiting from a different employee base like older people or working parents. And the inevitable, increasing salaries and benefits or even offering increased flexibility in the hope to appeal more to workers.

However there are reasons too why the hospitality industry is facing a high turnover rate. Unsociable working hours, low pay and benefits and a lack of career prospects being the three main reasons in the same YouGov survey. The reality: three out 10 workers leave their role within a year. This same report showed that few hospitality workers see this as their primary role, just 44%. 38% were in education and 15% as a second or third job. AND just 3% choosing the hospitality sector because of the career prospects it offered.

The UK hospitality sector is the third largest private employer in the UK and looks set to face an even greater shortfall of skilled workers. Employers are worried about what Brexit will mean for the workforce. As the available workforce reduces, increased retention in the hospitality sector over the next few years is critical. As many hospitality workers struggle with work/life balance, employers should focus on providing regular hours, better working conditions and improved career prospects to improve retention rates.

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