Development agency Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI) is working with the region’s hospitality sector to tackle a staffing crisis that is affecting 80% of firms in the area.
The North East’s hospitality industry is currently struggling to fill hundreds of vacancies, with an NGI survey showing that more than 80% of pubs, cafes, restaurants, and hotels are struggling to recruit. With an average of 15 roles per employer, that equates to more than 360 unfilled vacancies.
Vacancies range from housekeeping, bar staff, and chefs to customer experience managers, food and beverage managers, and specialist skilled staff - and there are more vacancies for restaurant-serving staff than any other.
Companies say former staff have found work outside the industry during lockdown and that they are also struggling to bring staff back from furlough.
The uncertainty of the pandemic has led to some seeking stability within other sectors, while perceptions of long and unsociable hours were also cited, as well as lack of loyalty as businesses compete to fill roles and operate at full capacity.
The track and trace system, which requires people to isolate if they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, is also causing issues.
Ian Thomas, director of leisure tourism and research at NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “It has been a perfect storm of contributing factors such as the pandemic, Brexit, and furlough. Furlough while positive when venues were closed, it’s allowed people to move on.”
Debrah Dhugga, chief operations officer at The Apartment Group said: “The Government must restore confidence in the hospitality sector so that it is again seen as a stable employer and provider of fulfilling careers.
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“We need to restore consumer confidence and give a strong signal to workers that hospitality will bounce back strongly.
“Figures show up to half of the people who were working in hospitality before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic may not return to the sector full-time, meaning some businesses are struggling to cope with the increase in demand.
“We are finding it a struggle and taking it day by day which is not ideal, but at the moment we don’t have a choice. We still have three of our venues closed and I can’t set a date for them re-opening yet until staffing issues improves.
“We have the business - it’s the staff we don’t have. The Government must, with urgency, put into place a better system for isolation notices. It is crippling our industry.
“Many local restaurants and pubs have had no choice but to close. We are fortunate in the fact I have a pool of staff around the company I can transfer around the businesses open, but even that is tough as it puts pressure on all venues.”
Ollie Vaulkhard, director at Bar Luga and Bealim House owners Vaulkhard Group, added: “We don’t have all our venues open again yet, and the biggest problem at the moment is the track and trace system.
“Healthy members of staff are getting pinged and having to isolate, which is incredibly infuriating.
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“We’re currently having to work out how we can open the venues that are currently operating.
“Every industry is having that exact same problem, and the Government needs to get a hold of it.”