Taken from Hotel Analyst, the hospitality industry’s publication on hotel development and growth, we learn that “due to Britain’s decision to leave the EU, the number of people from overseas applying for new jobs within the industry was falling. In addition, data from the Office of National Statistics estimated that 130,000 EU nationals emigrated in the year to September—the highest level in a decade.
“On average, they say the number of EU workers in hotels is between 12.5 percent to 25 percent, but in some hotels and restaurants that can be as high as 35 percent to 40 percent,” Harry Murray, president of hotel association, HOSPA, said. “With less EU workers coming into the country, this poses a serious problem. We need to find solutions. Our biggest challenge now is to attract more people to join the industry.”
Some have raised concerns that the energy consumed by Brexit has meant that its requirements would be lost to politicians amidst the demands of other industries.
“Recognizing that hospitality is a career choice for serious service professionals—rather than just a holiday job for students—is an important message to get across to the country as a whole,” said Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA, an organization that brings together hospitality industry professionals involved in financial management, revenue management and IT. “There is a general feeling that our politicians don't value the hospitality industry, despite us being the fourth-largest employer in the county and contributing billions of pounds to the UK economy. Those of us who have worked hard and been successful are great ambassadors for hospitality. We must all shout loudly about it.”
Employers are using every resource to ensure that they can claim their share of the talent pool.”
CWR TALENT remains committed to highlighting outstanding opportunities for hospitality candidates in the UK and around the world. CEO and Founder, Corinne Winter-Rousset says that while the wider European market for opportunities is robust, the uncertainty of moving a European family to the UK for an opportunity is risky until we know where we stand pertaining to immigration for EU citizens and their families. Hospitality is big business and not an industry the MPs in Britain should take lightly. The talent requirement exceeds the number of UK candidates who are qualified, we’ve always relied on Europeans as well as Brits for culture, food and guest satisfaction. The economic impact without the facility to hire Europeans as today would be devastating on our UK clients ability to meet their recruitment requirements. It’s a candidates’ market now.