Hospitality Pay Increases

Reports show that the hospitality industry's salaries have risen faster the average in the UK. This is said to be an attempt to attract more highly skilled candidates and fight the negative image of pay within the sector.

Over the past few years, the hospitality industry has struggled to see its demand for highly skilled workers met. There has been such a shortage that a majority of the skilled staff have been taken off the market by competitors. Many companies feel the need to resort to hiring temporary staff, often seeing a high level of staff turnover. This has, in some cases, resulted in a lower level of customer service and a lack of opportunities for career progression. A result of this is that job vacancies have also gone up, rising by 12.9% over the past month.

The report shows that advertised salaries for roles in the hospitality sector have risen by an astonishing 6.5% in the last month compared to the UK average of just 0.5%. When comparing the data over the past year, the industry's increase stood at a steady 6.4% rise.

It has been said that businesses have been struggling with a skills shortage and experts have concluded that it is likely that employers are raising the salaries on offer to tackle the competition for skilled workers. This is also a push to retain staff to allow for further training and progression within the company.

A representative from UK hospitality supplies company and bespoke menu cover specialists, Smart Hospitality Supplies said: "many of our clients are seeing increasing profits due to continual investment in their staff. It is great to see that the wider industry is catching up and are looking at better ways to retain skilled staff and encouraging the next generation to consider a career in hospitality. Businesses within the trade need skilled workers to boost their reputation and ensure that they are giving their customers a quality experience."

Some companies are tackling the shortage of skills in a unique way. Recent news shows that Tom Kitchen has partnered with Queen Margaret University to offer a scholarship programme. The programme has been designed to train prospective hospitality staff with the most skilled individuals being cherry picked for Tom's restaurants.

The industry has been under scrutiny in recent times since the news of Wagamama and TGI Fridays being fined for failing to pay staff the National Minimum Wage. There has been a perception for many years that it is a low pay career path. These new reports should quell those views and encourage more people to get into the business.