The recruitment and retention of talent remains hospitality’s greatest challenge for post-pandemic recovery according to the new Barclays’ UK Hospitality Challenges report.
According to another report by Hospitality Rising, there are currently 400,000 vacancies in the sector.
Front-of-house staffing is proving difficult for 26% of hotels, 25% nightclubs and 22% of restaurants.
Many staff employed in the industry have seen their pay rise, with the hospitality industry among those where employees are receiving “pay rises that outpace inflation, although some of these gains are likely to be eroded as living costs rise further”.
However, more than nine out of 10 UK hospitality businesses interviewed stated they were “confident of growth, albeit from the low base of the pandemic doldrums”.
The report found that most leisure and hospitality sectors have regained the ground lost during the pandemic with average profit margins now at 41% compared to 39% pre-covid.