Dedicated Scottish visa could be ‘gamechanger’ for hospitality

UKHospitality Scotland has called for the creation of a dedicated Scottish visa after hospitality vacancies rose by 60% in April 2024 compared to the start of the year.

Research from recruitment website Caterer.com showed that chefs, front of house staff and restaurant management were among the three most difficult roles to fill in Scotland.

While hospitality businesses in the UK recruit more than three-quarters of their staff domestically, the report suggested Scotland faces extra challenges due to its declining birth rate and high proportion of rural areas.

UKHospitality Scotland has called for all political parties to consider introducing a Scotland-specific visa that can help combat staff shortages in the industry.

It comes after Plaid Cymru said the Welsh government should be given the ability to manage its own visa schemes in its election manifesto last week.  

Leon Thompson, executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, said: “Like the rest of hospitality in the UK, our businesses have struggled to recruit staff.

"This ongoing issue is putting at risk hospitality’s ability to serve Scotland and create places where people want to live, work and invest.

“A dedicated Scotland visa which allows sectors facing shortages to recruit essential staff would be a gamechanger for Scottish hospitality. It would also be clear recognition from an incoming government that the needs of business will be reflected in our approach to immigration.”

There were 112,000 vacant hospitality jobs at the end of 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), up from 89,000 before the pandemic.

A group of MPs launched an inquiry into the issue of staff recruitment and retention in the hospitality industry in April, though it is unclear if this will continue after the general election.

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