Salaries are falling for jobs outside London

Some of the hospitality industry's lowest-paid workers outside London are seeing advertised salaries dropping, according to the latest figures from Salary Survey Publications.

The September 1999 survey of advertised jobs and wages across seven publications found the biggest losers were head porters working in the South, who suffered a massive £5,333 slump in average pay from £16,000 to £10,667. Nationally, their wages dropped by £1,052 to £12,615, but those in inner London enjoyed a £1,375 boost to £13,875.

In the kitchen, chef de rang wages dropped by £667 to £12,474, compared with the same month last year, although inner London staff gained £1,013 to £15,538.

Cooks' wages also dropped, by £668 to £10,337, but rose in the South by £1,812 to £12,083.

Waiters' pay fell by £170 to £9,670, except in inner and outer London, where salaries soared by £1,750 to £12,000. Silver-service waiters dropped £142 to £10,462. Wine waiters fell £389 to £13,778 although southerners moved up £1,250 to average £12,250. The highest-ranked loser was the deputy hotel manager position, with advertised salaries down £319 to £15,400 nationally.

In contrast, bursars or treasurers have seen a substantial £4,752 rise in average salary to £19,000.

Other losers included training managers, especially those in the South whose wages plummeted from £25,200 to £20,429, maintenance managers, down £291 to £14,464, and receptionists, down £115 to £10,850.

The number of jobs advertised in September 1999 totalled 11,634, 1.7% down on the 11,835 recorded in September 1998. The report uses statistics from jobs advertised in Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Bristol Evening Post, Publican,Birmingham Evening Mail, London's Evening Standard, Manchester Evening News and Morning Advertiser.