The Conservative led coalition has launched a consultation to explore how best to cut immigration to the UK, fuelling fears of a skills crisis in the ethnic restaurant sector.
Keeping to its pre-election promise, the Conservative lead government wants to reduce net migration to the UK to 1990 levels, which would mean tens of thousands rather than hundreds of thousands of immigrants a year.
Details of how the final limit will be delivered will be agreed after the 12-week consultation with businesses, but an interim immigration cap has been put in place to avoid a rush of applications.
The announcement is bad news for the UK’s 13,000 ethnic restaurants, which rely heavily on chefs from outside Europe and can expect to face a recruitment squeeze at the very least.
Tier 2 National Shortage Occupation List
Presently an exemption via the Tier 2 National Shortage Occupation List allows restaurants to bring chefs into the UK, in effect side-stepping the points-based migration scheme that prevents lower skilled workers from outside the EU gaining entry.
The occupation list is overseen by the Migration Advisory Committee, which has been asked to conduct a separate consultation on what level a cap should be set at.
However, former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown had already pledged to have the chef exemption removed from the list by 2012, and any action by the coalition is likely to be more drastic.
Tough situation made worse
Speaking in the July edition of BigHospitality’s sister title Restaurant magazine, Café Spice Namaste’s Cyrus Todiwala said the biggest issue facing the ethnic restaurant sector in the UK is manpower.
“Smaller restaurants wanting to improve can’t, because there is a skills shortage – and also no young generation willing to take on new challenges”, he said.
A spokesman for the British Hospitality Association agreed recruitment was already a major issue for ethnic restaurants in the UK. “We don't quite know yet how it will affect the skilled chef category as not too many are currently accepted, but if the number is cut back or, worse, the category is abandoned, then the problem will get worse,” he said.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has also come out against an immigration cap, arguing the hospitality sector has always struggled to find enough chefs and a limit could slow growth and stifle a recovery in the sector.
The July edition of Restaurant, available from 30 June, takes a look at the UK Indian restaurant scene and how it has developed during the past 25 years.