Caterer.com’s Salary & Benefits Report 2026: The Key Pay Trends Shaping Hospitality Hiring
Hospitality is changing - and so is the way employers need to think about pay, people and recruitment.
Caterer.com’s newest report reveal how rising wages, shifting expectations and financial pressures are reshaping the hospitality workforce. Drawing on data from 865,000 hospitality job adverts alongside recruiter and jobseeker surveys, the report delivers fresh insights into salaries by role and location, plus expert employer viewpoints.
Industry leaders including Craig Prentice, Founder & Director of mum, Chris Gilchrist, People Director at The Ned, and Yasmin Rose, Assistant Director of HR at Marriott International’s Central London Cluster share how they’re navigating wage changes, building strong teams and attracting talent in a competitive market.
Wages Are Rising – But So Are Expectations
Hospitality salaries have grown consistently, with the median now reaching £27,258, up from £20,800 five years ago. Further increases to the National Living Wage arrive in April 2026, boosting incomes for millions of workers and impacting employer costs across the sector.
London continues to dominate hiring, with a median hospitality salary of £30,000, while cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Oxford sit slightly above the national average.
The most in-demand roles remain kitchen porters, cooks and housekeepers, with cooks offering the widest salary range and strongest progression potential.
Strong Progress on Pay Equity – But Transparency Lags
There’s positive news on fairness. Hospitality’s gender pay gap has narrowed to just 2%, well below the UK average of 6.9%, positioning the sector as a leader in pay equity.
However, salary transparency remains a major challenge:
- 61% of hospitality job ads include no salary information
- 81% of candidates avoid applying when pay isn’t shown
Despite this, only 22% of hospitality employers regularly publish salary ranges, costing businesses candidates in an increasingly pay-focused market.
Financial Pressure Is Driving Job Moves
While over half of hospitality employees received a pay rise last year and salary satisfaction has risen to 76%, financial strain remains high.
More than half of workers plan to look for a new role in 2026 to secure better pay, highlighting how salary remains the key driver of mobility across the sector.
Younger workers and those in smaller organisations feel the pressure most – and are far more likely to be actively job hunting.
What This Means for Employers
The message from our Salary Benchmarking Report 2026 is clear:
✔ Hospitality pay is rising and becoming more competitive
✔ The sector is leading on pay equity
❗ Lack of transparency is hurting recruitment
❗ Financial pressure is accelerating staff turnover
As highlighted by Craig Prentice, Chris Gilchrist and Yasmin Rose, successful hospitality hiring in 2026 will rely on fair pay, open communication and clear progression – not just higher wages alone.
Download the full Caterer.com Salary Benchmarking Report 2026 today and get the insights you need to attract, retain and engage hospitality talent.