Around 178,000 positions are currently vacant in accommodation and foodservice activities, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), an increase of 675% on the previous year.
The latest figures also show vacancies per 100 employee jobs have risen to 7.9, which is the highest of any industry category in the ONS data.
Job vacancies have risen sharply in hospitality over the past year previous year thanks to the continued impact of the pandemic. This is despite vacancy numbers dipping slightly to 19,000 in the December 2020 to February 2021 period then reaching 109,000 in April to June 2021.
Data for the overall employee market show an estimated 1.298 million vacancies for the latest period, a 113% rise year on year.
“Now and throughout the past 22 months, the hospitality sector has experienced acute labour shortages due to varying factors from the pandemic through to Brexit,” says British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) chief executive Emma McClarkin.
“The latest labour market statistics from the ONS show just how challenging the situation is with record numbers of vacancies across the UK.”
The BBPA says it is calling on the Government to provide greater flexibility in current employment and skills initiatives to help the sector meet the recruitment challenge and to retain “a skilled and motivated pub and brewing workforce to help drive the economic recovery throughout the UK”.