Help is available to Greater Manchester tourism and hospitality businesses facing staff shortages as vacancies soar in the sector in the run-up Christmas and beyond.

 As the festive season gets underway the Growth Company is reminding the region’s hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes and performance venues that vital help and support is available for those struggling to recruit and fill vacancies.

They are also calling on job seekers or those interested in a career switch that there are hundreds of jobs currently available in hospitality and tourism in the city-region, not just in the run up to Christmas but in the future as well.

Through its Tourism and Hospitality Talent Hub run by GC Employment, which is part of the Growth Company, a social enterprise dedicated to economic growth, it is supporting Greater Manchester hospitality and tourism businesses during this challenging time, signposting job seekers to vacant posts and providing dedicated training.

Assistance to businesses includes a fully funded recruitment service, which supports with candidate selection, interviews and hiring; training support for the existing workforce, including upskilling, learning and development plans; redundancy advice for those who lose their jobs; and careers guidance for those starting out.

Greater Manchester is not alone in struggling to recruit as the UK hospitality industry is experiencing rising worker shortages in all roles and at all levels, with job vacancies at their highest since records began. The UK employs approximately 3.2 million people across the sector and in 2020, hospitality contracted by over 40 per cent.

Margaret Bartnikiewicz, Recruitment Project Manager for the GC Tourism and Hospitality Hub said: “The Tourism and Hospitality Talent Hub was set up two years ago following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU to support businesses and individuals within the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry across Greater Manchester through skills, training and recruitment.

“Currently there are more than 3,000 vacancies in the sector across Greater Manchester and by engaging with and supporting businesses we are advertising more than 300 vacancies a month. We’ve seen an increase in the number of jobs available in the run up to Christmas, but really this only adds to the worker shortage already there.

“There are so many great jobs available for people from all walks of life – young people, older people, those retraining or reskilling, underrepresented groups; it’s not about experience, it’s about personality and what you can bring to the job. A year waiting tables in a restaurant can be a pathway to becoming a restaurant manager.”

A new labour market and skills intelligence report produced by Greater Manchester Combined Authority highlights the extent of the skills shortage in the hospitality sector in the city-region.

Intelligence insights include:

  • Hospitality is an important sector for Greater Manchester, accounting for approximately 86,000 jobs, which is over 6% of the city-region’s total workforce.
  • There are 8,200 businesses of which 6,000 employ under 10 people.
  • The sector has suffered because of Brexit due to European workers leaving the UK and government restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic meant some businesses had to close.
  • Hard to fill vacancies include chefs, kitchen, housekeeping, bar tenders, waiting staff, management, lighting and sound engineers and security.

However, the Tourism and Hospitality Hub is best placed to work with businesses to overcome the challenges faced and help people looking for a job find the right pathway to employment.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “The hospitality sector has played a huge part in the city-region’s recovery from coronavirus and it is vital vacancies in the industry are filled to ensure this continues.

“I urge employers to work with the Tourism and Hospitality Talent Hub to help fill vacant posts, as well as job seekers to engage with the hub for training and employment opportunities – with readily available roles on offer. Hospitality is a rewarding sector to work in and Greater Manchester has a brilliant variety of venues and operators to work for.”

Sacha Lord, Night-time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester, said:

“After listening to employers that there are hundreds of housekeeping vacancies available across Greater Manchester, the Hospitality Talent Hub has launched the Housekeeping Academy.

“The training programme will help jobseekers get ready to work as a housekeeper or room attendant and apply for jobs in some of the best hotels in the city region.”

To find out more this programme visit www.talenthub.growthco.uk.

For more information and to get help from The Growth Company visit www.growthco.uk .

Businesses or individuals looking for support from the GC Tourism and Hospitality Hub can visit www.talenthub.growthco.uk or get in touch by calling us on 07503 620815.