Hospitality roles ‘could be added to shortage occupation list’

Ministers have reportedly asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) for advice on whether hospitality job roles should be included on the shortage occupation list, which would make it easier for businesses to recruit from abroad.

The Sunday Times and The Guardian have reported that, of several sectors being looked at, hospitality workers were “the most likely to be put on the list”, which could be confirmed “within weeks”.

The number of job vacancies in the hospitality sector hit 146,000 between November 2022 and January 2023, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a drop of 4,000 on the previous quarter between August and October 2022. However, vacancies were still 72% higher than those recorded pre-pandemic.

It is possible to employ staff under a skilled worker sponsor licence, however businesses have continued to struggle with staff shortages which have seen some venues temporarily close or offer enhanced perks such as health insurance in the battle for talent.

The MAC offers independent advice to the Home Office on immigration policy and produces reports on whether certain occupations should or shouldn't be given some special dispensations to make it easier for employers to access migrant labour to fill vacancies.

In 2020, it produced a damning report recommending chefs be removed from the shortage occupation list. The report was criticised by operators and trade bodies who said it was "hardly surprising" the industry struggled to fill roles with UK candidates when cheffing was branded "low skill". Chefs are now eligible for a skilled worker visa.

A petition last year calling for a hospitality worker visa scheme gained more than 18,000 signatures, however the Home Office said there were no plans to introduce a visa route for recruitment "at or near the minimum wage with relatively short training" and that businesses "should invest in and develop the UK's domestic labour force".