The Hospitality Training Foundation has recently released two reports that highlight concerns across the industry. Phil Mellows explains further
The pub industry faces a deepening staff crisis over the next decade according to two new reports from the Hospitality Training Foundation (HTF).
While employers surveyed expect employment in the sector to soar by 25 per cent - from 272,000 in 2000 to 363,000 in 2010 - the HTF's research shows that pub operators are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit.
Vacancies advertised in Jobcentres and left unfilled for more than three months increased in the year to July 2000 by 12 per cent for barstaff, 20 per cent for chefs and cooks and 17 per cent for licensees themselves.
At last count, half of barstaff vacancies were proving difficult to fill, rising to 71 per cent of jobs in the kitchen.
HTF operations manager Phil Raynsford warned that pub companies will have to step up their efforts to improve the image of the industry if a serious crisis is to be averted in the years ahead.
"If vacancies aren't filled, salaries will rise and costs will go up," he said. "And if operators choose not to recruit the right people, service levels and the whole industry will suffer. At the extreme, businesses will be forced to close down because they can't employ good staff.
"This is a problem faced by all sectors of the hospitality industry, not just pubs," he added. "It is a result of the fact that the UK is enjoying relatively close to full employment at the moment combined with our image problem."
More than 45 per cent of the 551 pub and bar operators surveyed who had been trying to hire staff said they had experienced difficulties recruiting people. Barstaff positions were identified as the most challenging to fill.
Most common reasons given for difficulties were firstly a general lack of applicants followed by a lack of applicants with the necessary skills, including "social" qualities. Only nine per cent saw unsocial hours as a problem.
Barstaff were also most difficult to retain, with the situation exacerbated by a tendency to recruit casual and temporary staff for that position.
Good work has already been done to enhance the outdated image of hospitality, said Phil, especially by careers body Springboard UK and the British Institute of Innkeeping's (BII) newly relaunched recruitment arm, BII Careers.
"But it needs more", he continued. "We have to keep building on what has been achieved and all employers have to get involved in that - there are still some who don't even seem to realise that we have a problem."
He called on pub companies to spread their recruitment net wider. Despite the ageing population, the proportion of young people employed in hospitality is rising. The HTF survey shows that 24 per cent of bar and pub staff are under 20 years old and another 26 per cent are aged between 20 to 24. Across the UK workforce as a whole, only 14 per cent are under 25.
"The large number of unfilled vacancies at Jobcentres suggests that employers need to look more broadly, especially to older people," said Phil. "There is a tendency to assume that young people are the only ones with energy, but older people can have energy too - plus they have the knowledge and skills."
There was an encouraging decline in casual working in the pub and bar sector. Less than 65,000 pub staff now have another job elsewhere, down 15 per cent on the 1999 figure and the lowest since the HTF's records began in 1995.
This is still high, at nearly a quarter of the total employed, but according to Phil "this need not be a serious problem if those people are given the right training, skills and knowledge".
Training is an area in which the pub sector excels compared to the rest of the hospitality industry. Some 86 per cent of employers in the survey said they trained their staff, 70 per cent of them offering training beyond induction. This is a big jump from the 47 per cent who could say the same in 1995 and higher than the figure for hospitality as a whole - 65 per cent.
The expansion of branded pub chains, most of which have developed a systematic approach to staff development, and the introduction of short, specific courses by the BII are given the credit for this, but there is a slight concern from the HTF that much of the training is not translated into formal qualifications.
"It isn't a question of having qualifications just for the the sake of it," said Phil. "They demonstrate that there is a career path for people working in a pub and reflect the fact that it is a responsible job.
"When people go out to a pub these days they expect to get a good experience and if the service is bad it can ruin the whole night. That's why the industry needs strong qualifications."
For head of BII Careers Richard Parker, investment in training is vital if the industry is to adequately confront the staffing crisis.
"There is a glaring contradiction in the HTF's reports," he said. "One the one hand it says there are not enough people coming into the industry and retention levels are poor, while on the other pubcos are not doing enough training.
"Employers have got to invest in training at a lower level if they want people to stay - and hopefully they are beginning to appreciate that."
As hospitality's official National Training Organisation, the HTF is responsible for fighting the industry's corner when it comes to state funding for training.
Consultation is currently underway on a workforce development plan which will set out the industry's future needs.
HTF's research shows that skills gaps are most prevalent among barstaff, a situation which the BII is addressing directly with a new barstaff qualification which will be launched at Pub & Bar 2001on September 26.
Employers in the sector regarded a willingness to learn as the most important quality in an employee.
Looking to the future, personal appearance was expected to diminish in importance while communications and job-specific skills were expected to grow more important.
- The facts and figures on this page are taken from Labour Market Review 2001 and Skills and Employment Foresight 2001, both available from the Hospitality Training Foundation. Order from the website at www.htf.org.uk or telephone 020 8579 2400.
Industry facts
- Pubs, clubs and bars employ 270,000 people, 26 per cent of the total for the hospitality industry
- Strongest employment growth in the hospitality industry between 1995 and 2000 was among barstaff - 21 per cent
- Part-timers account for 64 per cent of staff in pubs, clubs and bars, up from 56 per cent in 1995
- Only a third of licensees are women, compared to 62 per cent of barstaff and 50 per cent of chefs and cooks
- Half those employed in pubs, clubs and bars are under 25 compared to just 14 per cent of the total UK workforce
- For 64,838 people, working in a pub or bar is a second job
- 88 per cent of pubs, clubs and bars employ 10 people or less
- The average weekly pay for a full-time barman is £183. For a barmaid it is £175.
Springboard
Springboard UK's 2001 Careers Festival, set for October 15-22, will kick off with the results of research into the benefits of work experience and people's perceptions of the hospitality industry.
Employers are invited to stage their own events during the week or join local and regional initiatives.
"Organisations taking part will not only contribute towards boosting the profile of the industry but will also have the chance to reach a huge number of potential new recruits and boost the morale of their existing staff," said Springboard managing director Anne Walker.
For more information visit the website at www.springboarduk.org.uk or call