The data analysis by digital marketing agency Koozai, which looked at the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, found that 37.4% of businesses in ‘accommodation and food services’ are having issues with recruiting enough skilled staff, making it the industry most significantly impacted by worker shortages.
Just over 14% of UK businesses overall are experiencing worker shortages, meaning that the skills shortages in hospitality are more significant than the UK average, according to Koozai.
Other UK industries experiencing particularly large worker shortages include construction (25.5%), transport and storage (16.2%), real estate (14.3%), administrative and support services (13.5%), manufacturing (13.3%), and the wholesale and retail trade (12%), the study has found.
“Our study suggests hospitality businesses may be experiencing particular difficulties in recruiting enough staff with the right skills right now, just as predictions of recession and increased energy costs loom large over the national economy,” says Koozai owner and managing director Sophie Roberts.
The study also found that there are regional disparities in worker shortages. Cornwall has the highest proportion of businesses experiencing worker shortages in the UK at 33%, followed by Lancashire (25.2%), Dorset and Somerset (22.8%), east Wales (22%) and Shropshire and Staffordshire (21.9%).