Staff shortages 'a perennial problem since Brexit'

In light of this, The Morning Advertiser (MA)​ spoke to operators to gauge their opinions on the shortages and to gain an insight into how trade is faring amid seemingly unmovable figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

UKHospitality (UKH) has urged in a recent report, for the Government to implement business friendly recruitment measures and have also warned of excessive wage increases. New data from the ONS also found there were a total of 98,000 vacancies throughout the food service and accommodation sectors, falling below 100,000 for the very first time since the pandemic.

Perennial problem

Owner of the Unruly Pig in Suffolk, Brendan Padfield shared his thoughts on employee shortages, claiming issues for him personally, have not decreased since Brexit. He stated: “Staff shortages have been a perennial problem post-Brexit and still remain a big issue particularly front of house” He continued: “We employ about 30 full and part time team members - the numbers have remained pretty much steady throughout”

UKH chief executive Kate Nicholls described the drop in vacancies as a “positive milestone​” for the sector. Vacancies do currently remain 5,000 higher than pre-pandemic levels which were noted at 93,000.

Owner of the Onslow Arms in Loxwood, West Sussex, Rob Barr admitted he felt the Government needed to support small businesses. In order he said, not just to pay the expected wages but to also “reduce the pressure on us for employing such as VAT relief, business rates reform and looking at the employers national insurance rates.”

Barr revealed that, since Brexit and the pandemic the hospitality industry has been “hit hard” with the magnitude of jobs they are struggling to fill.

He said: “We are having to take in untrained staff across all sections, front and back of house which is great for the future of our industry but leaves us short in areas having to rely on these staff to deliver against our guests expectations.”

The research provided by ONS also showed, the rate of economic activity rose to 22.2%. The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) chief executive Emma McClarkin previously said, the beer and pub sector is an economic bellwether for the nation’s economy, supporting 936,000 jobs​. She described the sector as, committed to creating jobs and providing critical economic growth throughout country. However, In order to do so she explained the sector requires flexibility on labour and to see a reduction in the cost of doing business.

Challenging years

General manager of the Plough Inn, in Normanton-on-Wolds, Becky Cassapi, discussed her thoughts on the vacancies drop. She described the past few years as “challenging” when recruiting staff for both front and back of house, but revealed she thought the decline in numbers could be a potential “positive in the industry.”

She added: “However when you delve deeper into the reasonings, I believe this is mainly down to the industry struggling and the demand for the same number of staff not being there.”

Cassapi outlined the issues of hiring and wage pressures, she claimed finding individuals with experience has been “hard to come by”  and has had to adopt an attitude shift in hiring younger, less experienced staff in order to benefit business.

She noted both the pandemic and wage pressures have contributed to lack of work ethic and experience in front of house positions. She added: "Wage pressures also play a part, where we are seeing applications from more experienced staff expecting wages in excess of £14 per hour which we unfortunately can not sustain with the guest expectations on pricing.”

Fellow operator Padfield also commented on  the impact of inflation and wage increases, he said: "We have always had to pay the best to get the best …but the inflationary pressures post-Brexit and post-pandemic have been simply extraordinary unrivalled.”

A recent Poll​ by The Morning Advertiser​ conducted in May 2024, showed that 86% of people agreed labour shortages were worse in May than during the pandemic. With only 14% voting no.  Managing director of the Three Hills at Bartlow pub in Cambridgeshire, Emma Harris also told The Morning Advertiser​, that the biggest issue the sector faced was “convincing people a career in hospitality was worthwhile”