The shortage of workers willing to take on hospitality roles is well documented and is inhibiting growth in the foodservice sector. At the same time retirement age is going up and the over 50s are a growing proportion of the population. Jacquetta Picton examines if these two facts can create a solution
F
igures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show there were 173,000 unfilled jobs recorded in the foodservice sector between May and July 2022. Although down slightly from 174,000 recorded in the previous quarter
the job vacancy figures are still at a record high. “Staff shortages have been at a record high in the hospitality industry for some time, causing thousands of operators to cut trading hours or close for whole days, at a cost of £21bn in lost revenue,” said Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality in reaction to the ONS figures. How can these vacancies be filled in light of Europe-wide labor shortages, especially in the hospitality sector? Back in 2018 Foodservice Consultant’s