Hospitality recruitment and retention inquiry launched

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Hospitality and Tourism is launching an inquiry into the 'recruitment and retention of staff in hospitality'.

Led by an influential group of parliamentarians, the inquiry will explore the reasons behind the industry's high vacancy rates, ask what more the sector can do and make a series of recommendations to the government. 

The APPG is seeking answers to the following questions:

• Workers in hospitality roles often leave within a few months and many within the first year. Does the industry have a retention problem? If so, why?
• The industry has more than 100,000 vacancies and shortages have remained a persistent issue for businesses for several years. What are the barriers businesses are facing when it comes to recruitment and finding the staff they need?
• One in five UK adults consider hospitality an appealing industry to work in – what can the sector and government do to change the perceptions of a sector that offers rewarding careers and rapid progression, to make the sector more appealing?
• Historically, hospitality has been able to fill vacancies with workers from overseas; how is the industry balancing the government's emphasis on encouraging businesses to utilise UK-born workers with the need to deliver a high-quality experience for customers and guests?
• The sector has introduced numerous initiatives to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff, such as the Wellbeing Promise and Hoteliers' Charter. How successful have these industry initiatives been and what else can be done?
• Many hospitality businesses use zero-hour contracts – what impact does this have on staff recruitment and retention?

Simon Jupp MP (east Devon), chair of the hospitality and tourism APPG, comments: "Staffing challenges in hospitality and tourism has 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. Entries should be no longer than 1,500 words. Evidence should be submitted to [email protected], which acts as the secretariat of the APPG. 

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