Immigration Cap Concerns Hospitality Industry

According to the Sector Skills Council for Hospitality, People 1st, the Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism Industry is entering a ‘decade of opportunity’, with employment predicted to grow by more that 200,000 by 2017. In the organisations new ‘State of the National Report 2010’ the group says that 700,000 employment opportunities will be created each year.

State of the National Report Highlights:

• Employment is expected to grow from 2.2 million in 2007 to 2.4 million by 2017
• Although 47% of businesses believe the recession has made recruitment easier, many employers are still finding it difficult to secure workers with niche skill sets
• 26% of employers said they found it difficult to recruit chefs
• 14% of employers said that found it difficult to recruit Recruiting Managers
• 11% of employers said they couldn’t afford the salaries to attract the right people.

The Government is now being called upon not to neglect skill shortages in the Hospitality sector. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s Hospitality Chair, Suzanne Letting, said that “We realise that immigration is an issue that needs tackling. However, the Government needs to address the major issue of skills shortages in hospitality. The diverse nature of the UK hospitality sector is vital to its success and its opportunities to grow. Any immigration policies limiting the number of staff with the in-demand skills will have a direct impact on the already hard pressed hospitality industry.  With big events such as the Olympics coming up, the demand for staff will only increase so we need to ensure that our young people are trained and ready to take on these jobs if immigration routes are closed.”

The 2012 Olympics are a major influence on the Hospitality sector and a significant reason why employment figures are expected to increase dramatically in the years to come. The ‘decade of opportunity’ may also continue if England’s 2018 World Cup bid is successful as the football World Cup is predicted to be an even bigger draw than the Olympics.

Commonwealth Contractors

Commonwealth Contractors is a collection of highly skilled professionals from the Commonwealth and beyond. We partner with OISC Registered Immigration Partners capable of professionally representing Tier 1 Visa Applications / Extensions and Tier 2 Licensed Consultancy & Associated Trust Partners who may be prepared, where required, to sponsor Information Technology or Engineering Professional on a Tier 2 Visa (formerly UK Work Permit).

To find out more call Commonwealth Contractors now on 0330 390 9021 or Submit your details now and we will get right back to you. Please be prepared to send a copy of a recent CV so that we can pass to interested partners.