EU expansion tipped to ease bar staff shortage

by Ewan Turney

Recruitment problems could be a thing of the past thanks to the expansion of the European Union (EU) to several Eastern European states.

Last week's Morning Advertiser poll of Britain's top 200 pubcos revealed that one of the main concerns across the board was a lack of quality bar staff.

However, one leading recruitment expert believes the expansion of the EU to include 10 new member states, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, is "fantastic" for the industry.

David Kelham, of recruitment company Berkley Scott, said: "You get a workforce that is committed, who work hard at achieving short-term objectives and who look the part. They fit in culturally and are readily assimilated."

The New Inn in London, a Greene King Pub Partners pub, is one of the first to take advantage of the liberalisation on work permits.

Manager Janet Rooney has recently taken on two new staff from Poland who have both gained full work permits as well as updating the work permits of two students from Hungary previously employed at the pub.

"The new staff are so hard-working and punctual, they are some of the best I've ever had," said Rooney. "The new work permits were easy to get, all I had to do was register with the home office and they sent them through."

The language barrier has not been a problem for Rooney's new staff. "They can all speak excellent English, but if they do get stuck the girls help each other out and the customers enjoy teaching them local phrases," she said.

However, despite not seeing any negatives in the arrival of a new Eastern European workforce, Kelham does have some warnings. "Employers still need to set basic standards of appropriate training. Too often there is the thought that because someone has two arms and legs they will be able to do the job."

He also believes that some areas of the country will still experience bar staff shortages despite the expected influx. "The jam will not be evenly spread across the country," he said. "They will be concentrated in certain areas such as London."