News / Press release / People

Hospitality vacancies fall once again in July

Sam Ette

Communications Manager

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that vacancies in accommodation and food service activities fell for the fourth month in a row, to 127,000.

Our response

Our Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “It’s positive that vacancies in hospitality have fallen for the fourth consecutive month but it remains the case that levels are still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels and that average hours worked were down on the previous three months.

Critical roles, like chefs, remain challenging to recruit and that continues to restrict hospitality businesses from operating at anywhere near their full capacity.

“Significant investment to attract and develop our own talent continues, through apprenticeships and training, but we urge the Government to open up new immigration routes, such as widening the Youth Mobility Scheme and Shortage Occupation List, to help the sector reach its potential.”