Hospitality vacancies are set to hit a record high this Christmas

Vacancies in the hospitality industry have increased year-on-year, but over the past two years the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated this problem, which has meant businesses could be left short of staff this Christmas period.

One of the key issues the pandemic created was staff not returning from furlough as over the last six months of furlough, the number of individuals in the sector accessing the scheme fell by 831,000, yet during the same period hospitality vacancies increased by almost 100,000, with 151,000 industry jobs currently available, according to the most recent ONS data.

Second tough Christmas for the sector

Student work app, Stint, analysed 10 years of vacancy data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to determine job vacancies this December could increase from 88,000 in 2019 (pre-pandemic) to 163,000 this December.

Stint CEO and co-founder Sol Schlagman said: “The hospitality industry could be facing a second tough Christmas if these staffing holes aren’t plugged in time.”

To help attract staff to the industry, Stint has called on the Government to raise the employer National Insurance Contribution threshold above the rate of inflation, to help businesses increase wages above the rising cost of living.

Attracting more people to hospitality 

The amount of National Insurance paid depends on employment status and how much employees earn, while the employment status of an employee determines the threshold for National Insurance Contribution.

When an employee's pay rises above the threshold, the employer will contribute towards the employees National Insurance, the contribution rate above all thresholds is set at 13.8%

Schlagman added: “We’re calling on the Government to encourage businesses to invest in their staff by raising the National Insurance Contribution threshold, the additional money granted to businesses will then help attract and keep the best talent.”