A new poll has revealed 60% of businesses in the hospitality and leisure sector are planning to increase wages this year and 49% intend to boost staff levels.
However, the Barclays Employers Survey 2015, which questioned 666 UK businesses across all sectors, also found the sector experiencing more shortages within skilled trade roles than most other industries (70% compared to 54% overall).
Within the job creation target, hospitality and leisure firms are targeting a marked increase in senior management positions, with a jump to 47% from 27% last year. Amongst businesses looking to increase staff levels, the survey also reports a hike in those looking to recruit at a low/unskilled level, up to 100% from 66% last time with 72% (2014: 73%) expecting to increase jobs at a middle/junior management level.
Mike Saul, head of hospitality & leisure at Barclays, said: “As confidence returns to the sector, it is reassuring to see businesses looking to recruit across a range of roles. That said, access to labour is clearly a growing issue for many. With further Barclays research forecasting that by 2017, total expenditure by domestic and overseas consumers in the UK will reach over £135bn, it is imperative that businesses have the right people in the right jobs to ensure they are well-positioned for these future growth opportunities. Encouragingly, findings from this report would tend to indicate that the sector is gearing up to meet this challenge head on in 2015.”
The survey suggests that, where businesses are hiring apprentices, they may also be starting to play a key role in helping to address skills gaps. Just over a third (34%) of hospitality and leisure operators have taken on apprentices over the past year (2014: 16%) and 39% are looking to take on apprentices in 2015 (2014:31%).
When asked how confident they felt about the UK economy compared to the same time last year 47% of sector businesses (2014:46%) confirmed they are more confident. Just under two-fifths (39%) felt the same about the economy which was broadly similar to the figure of 37% in last year’s survey.
Survey findings across all business sectors:
• 67% of mid-size businesses are set to create new jobs and 82% set to increase wages this year (vs. 50% and 61% of businesses of all sizes)
• 42% of the smallest businesses plan to take on new staff this year – the lowest of all the turnover bands surveyed
• The majority (83%) of companies increasing staff levels will take on middle/ junior management/skilled staff.
• 32% of businesses are gearing up to take on apprentices (vs. 29% in 2014)
• 78% of vacancies in the last 12 months have been filled from within the UK. Just under a quarter (24%) said they had hired employees from inside the EU (not including the UK) and 7% from outside the EU.
• 77% of businesses still think that sales lead to job creation – as opposed to job creation leading to sales.
