Inquiry to explore UK hospitality staffing issue

A cross-party group of UK members of Parliament has launched an inquiry to address staff shortages in the hospitality industry.

The inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Hospitality and Tourism will look into recruitment and retention of workers in the hospitality industry.

The investigation will delve into why there are high vacancy rates in the sector, with more than 100,000 jobs to be filled in the past few years.

It will also look at what the industry and government can do to make hospitality an attractive sector to work in.

As an industry that has been historically filled by overseas workers, the inquiry will also address how the sector can balance the utilisation of UK employees while delivering a high-quality customer experience.

The review will also examine whether mental health initiatives for industry workers have been successful, and the impact of zero-hour contracts on maintaining staff levels in the sector.

Simon Jupp MP (East Devon), chair of the Hospitality and Tourism APPG, said: “Staffing challenges in hospitality and tourism have continually been raised by businesses as a persistent problem that negatively impacts trading.

“Given how important the people who work in hospitality and tourism are to the experiences they help deliver, it’s important that the APPG takes the time to investigate this issue.

“I’m pleased to launch this inquiry today and I want businesses and representatives of the sector at its heart, to enable the members of the APPG to understand the issues and make appropriate recommendations to government on where it can support.

“This is a broad inquiry and I hope to hear from as many people involved in hospitality and tourism as possible.”

The deadline for submissions of written evidence is Friday 14 June, with a maximum of 1,500 words.

Evidence should be submitted to policy@ukhospitality.org.uk. Trade body UKHospitality is the secretariat of the group.

Last week, the introduction of a new tipping law in the UK was pushed back by three months to 1 October 2024.