Think Again special issue
Recruitment just got tougher
Hospitality employers are experiencing a tougher time than ever before when it comes to recruiting new talent, according to exclusive research conducted by The Caterer as part of the Think Again campaign. Neil Gerrard reports
looking for than ever before. Nearly 82% said it was harder than at any time in the past to recruit suitable staff, with a staggering 93% of respondents saying they found it either somewhat difficult (44%) or very difficult (49%). That’s according to research conducted by The Caterer as part of the Think Again campaign, in association with foodservice firm Sodexo.
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The wide-ranging survey polled employers in the foodservice, hotel and restaurant mar- kets on a range of employment-related issues, with a particular focus on the difficulties of recruiting new entrants to the sector, where some of the shortage areas lie, and what can be done to change perceptions among the public. When employers were asked to consider the most important elements when it comes to explaining why it is a challenge to recruit for hospitality roles, two clear factors emerged: the perception of low pay (which topped the list with 34%) and long hours (27%). Another significant barrier was, in the estimation of employers, a perception of a lack of career progression (16%).
The findings show that there is still a lot of work to be done to communicate to potential entrants to the hospitality industry, as well as their parents in the case of young people, that work in hospitality is sometimes better paid than they may think. Findings from research released last week by Fourth Analytics showed that the actual pay of hospitality workers who are paid by the hour has in fact risen by 12.6% to £7.71 over the past two years, ahead of the recently introduced National Living Wage of £7.20 an hour.
12 | The Caterer
n overwhelming majority of hospitality professionals reckon it is now harder to find the quality of employees they are
When those under 21 are removed from the equation, hourly remuneration rises to £7.92. Fourth predicted that the hourly rate average in hospitality would hit £8 in January 2017 and could well approach £8.50 by April 2017, when the next incremental increase comes into force. According to The Caterer’s research, chef de partie roles were rated as the hardest vacancies to fill (selected by 53% of respond- ents), followed by commis chefs (46%), sous chefs (43%), waiters and waitresses (40%), and thenpastry chefs (36%). Retaining these recruits once the employers have found them is also proving to be challenging. While only 8% said they found it very difficult to keep hold of them, 51% described it as difficult and 28% were neutral on the issue. Only 12% said it was easy and a mere 1% rated it as very easy. This could spell trouble in the wake of Brexit
and the possibility that workers from the EU could in future require visas to work in the UK, particularly as 73% of survey respondents said the hospitality sector could not fill vacancies with the people it needs without EU workers.
Think positive Despite the difficulties they find in recruiting people, those who actually work in hospital-
ity now rate their career as fulfilling. Nearly 45% described it as very fulfilling, with 29% saying it was somewhat fulfilling. A clear majority of 78% said they would recommend hospitality to young people looking to estab- lish their own career. Interestingly, when asked what the most effective means of enthusing more young people about a career in hospitality were, most opted for a more positive portrayal of hospital- ity in TV and media (36%). That was followed closely by work experience placements (31%) and ambassadors visiting schools (18%). Others suggested better pay and working
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