Number of hospitality job vacancies rose 26% in October

The number of hospitality job vacancies advertised in October 2021 jumped by 26% on the previous month, and a huge 383% on the same month in 2020.

Data from recruitment site CV Library shows the continued strain the staffing crisis is putting on operators with many speaking of reducing trading hours or limiting their offering.

Sharif Uddin, owner of the Kushi chain of Indian restaurants in London and Essex, plus DUSK fine dining restaurant in Brentwood, said: "Staff shortages mean we can not get skilled professional front of house staff so currently we are making do with what is available and filling gaps with students.

"The impact of this is huge in terms of front of house service, the basics of serving etiquette you can not teach in a day, often by the time you train them they have found better opportunities and unskilled work elsewhere and they move on, so the cycle starts again.

"In terms of kitchen staff, skilled quality chefs aren't on the market for the salaries that make our restaurants viable. Trying to recruit young people to train is like trying to locate the proverbial needle in a very large haystack. Most would prefer to be trained at large chains who can offer better starting salaries, offer structured training programmes and career progression with shorter shifts and more desirable working hours."

The problem may be exacerbated by the perception of hospitality, with online training provider High Speed Training reporting that 33% of people fell that the industry does not offer a career for life.

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