The new report, Migrants in the Hospitality Industry, shows that 26% of the hospitality industry is made up of migrants, with 28% coming from Europe, and that the figures have grown significantly (23%) since 2009.
Martin-Christian Kent, executive director at People 1st, said that it was the many migrants working in the industry that were helping to meet businesses’ needs.
“It’s a simple fact that without migrants working in our industry, we would have far greater skill gaps and skills shortages that we currently do,” he said. “In fact, our industry is the fourth largest employer of people from abroad, with 6% of all migrants in the UK working in hospitality. That counts for a lot of jobs, and we’re now starting to see just how important they are. 28% of managers are migrants and they fill 37% of skilled roles in the industry.
“Just two examples really show the real impact migrants are having: 44,000 restaurant and catering managers are born outside the UK, and so are 91,000 chefs.”
The report also highlights that migrants are filling entry level roles, and highlights key benefits of hiring migrant workers, including the fact that they:
While the hospitality industry is benefiting from the skills of migrants, the report found that many of these workers are concentrated in three key areas: London (69%), Greater Manchester (25%) and the West Midlands (28%).
“It’s perhaps not surprising that urban areas such as London and Manchester have higher rates of migrants working in hospitality, as cities traditionally attract more migrants than rural or coastal areas,” said Kent.
He noted that while migrants clearly play a key role in the hospitality industry, and will continue to do so for many years, the report highlights alternatives to recruiting migrant staff members.
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve been operating ’employment academies’ that provide training to jobseekers, and link employers with providers so they can find suitable candidates for their vacancies.
“We’ve also launched an accreditation scheme for colleges, which recognises good practise and excellence in training. By hiring from accredited colleges, employers can be assured that they are gaining highly skilled employees.”
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