Land of opportunity
Hospitality staff looking north of the border might be forgiven a rueful sigh. While many, particularly in London, remain worried about terrorist attacks, the impact of war with Iraq, job cuts in the City and a slowing property market and economy, Scotland's upsurge shows little sign of slowing.
Scotland has seen a boom in the number of hotels and restaurants opening, particularly in its two principal cities - and arch rivals - Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Within Glasgow, for instance, Caffé Nero has just moved in, French hotel group Envergure is to open a 106-bedroom Campanile hotel, Jurys Doyle is planning a 320-bedroom hotel and Radisson opened a 247-bedroom hotel in December.
Glasgow in particular has seen an influx of branded operations new to the city, such as Walkabout, Tiger Tiger and Jumpin' Jacks.
Edinburgh shows a similar pattern and has the added attraction for employees and visitors of the annual arts festival.
"Hotel managers in the city seem very optimistic, and the city is becoming very active for bars and restaurants as well. Many overseas candidates identify it as the place to be outside London," says Lisa Morrison, recruitment consultant at Berkeley Scott.
Recent new openings in Edinburgh include the Omni Centre. This is home to Pizza Hut and Walkabout and the 66-bedroom Glasshouse hotel, owned by the Eton Group. Nearby Leith has seen the opening of the Ocean Terminal regional shopping centre.
Inverness is also experiencing something of a renaissance. Traditionally, the town has lost out to larger rivals such as Aberdeen, but there is now a growing recognition that it is a gateway in its own right to tourist areas such as Wick and John O'Groats.
City Centre Restaurants has recently moved in to the town, and a new shopping centre with a foodcourt has also just opened.
Hotels have also been repositioning themselves to cope with any future downturn in trade from the USA. Some, such as the five-star Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Perthshire, are tapping into the Russian executive market. The hotel is also spending £1.5m on a refurbishment project.
The latest quarterly survey by recruitment agency Manpower, published at the end of December, found that 16% of Scottish employers were planning to take on more staff in the three months to the end of March - the survey's best-ever first-quarter result.
Scotland, along with Wales and the West Midlands, was one of the top three regions in Great Britain for job prospects, the survey found, and was also the highest climber in the survey, jumping from seventh place to second in a year.
Business has been "huge" since the start of February, agrees Eva Meikle, business manager for Manpower's Dundee office.
"We had to supply one client - a five-star hotel and golf resort - with 100 staff at a week's notice," she says.
Scotland is also proving attractive to workers from England and overseas. A lot of the head chefs Meikle speaks to are not Scottish, but English, South African or Dutch.
The fact that Scotland's population is declining - it has fallen 2% in the past decade - means outsiders are actively encouraged to come. Indeed, Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell recently launched a campaign to attract more skilled foreign workers to the country.
"The Iraq situation has not stopped bookings. People do not seem to link Scotland with the UK. They may avoid London or the main cities but think Scotland is far enough out of the way not to be a target," says Meikle.
Similarly, chains such as Vintage Inns - part of the Six Continents empire - are rapidly expanding across the country, tapping in to demand for places that offer good-quality food without the need to dress formally. Vintage Inns now has seven sites up and running, mostly located on the outskirts of the big cities, and plans to open another 18 in the next three to four years.
Some recruitment consultants, however, warn there are signs that the good times may have peaked. The effect of London's slow-down may ripple northwards, compounded by worries over an impending war.
"There has definitely been a tailing off. We have not had any new clients for the past six weeks," says Rosa Di Mascio, accountant director at the Chess Partnership. "I would say that people are tightening their belts."
Despite this, unemployment in Edinburgh and Glasgow remains at historically low levels and, as in many areas of the country, there is a chronic shortage of chefs.
"There is still a big skills gap in that area. A lot of people are also coming back to Scotland," argues Di Mascio. "Over the past four or so years the hospitality industry has grown quite considerably," she adds.
But the war in Iraq, and any subsequent impact on tourism, is causing a few jitters, she concedes. "It may be a bit like after 11 September when it was harder to find candidates because they were frightened to move."
Hospitality pay in Scotland
While salaries are slightly behind those of London, once on the road to management there isn't a great deal of difference between rates of pay. A change in lifestyle, cheaper property prices and a growing hospitality market are sound reasons to make the move.
So what would you be worth in Scotland? Compare your current salary with these average wages across Scotland.
| Food service> | Assistant manager | £12,000-£18,000 |
| Unit manager | £14,000-£20,000 | |
| Regional manager | £16,000-£26,000 | |
| Pubs | Head bar person | £5 per hour |
| Unit manager | £20,000-£35,000 | |
| Area manager | £30,000-£50,000 | |
| Fine-dining restaurants | Waiter | £4.20 per hour |
| Head waiter | £5 per hour | |
| Manager | £22,000-£30,000 | |
| Branded/fast-food restaurants | Waiter | £4.20-£5 per hour |
| Head waiter | £5 per hour | |
| Unit manager | £18,000-£26,000 | |
| Chefs | Chef de partie | £11,000-£14,000 |
| Sous chef | £15,000-£23,000 | |
| Executive chef | £19,000-£25,000 | |
| Three-star hotels | Receptionist | £9,000-£11,000 |
| Head housekeeper | £12,000-£15,000 | |
| General manager | £35,000-£45,000 | |
| Four-star hotels | Receptionist | £9,000-£12,000 |
| Head housekeeper | £15,000-£20,000 | |
| General manager | £50,000-£60,000 | |
| Five-star hotels | Receptionist | £10,000-£13,000 |
| Head housekeeper | £18,000-£22,000 | |
| General manager | £55,000-£80,000 |
Source: Berkeley Scott
