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Hospitality Hiring Insider: The hospitality recruitment trends of H1 2024

Caterer.com’s Hospitality Hiring Insider provides a detailed view of hospitality hiring trends from the first half of 2024, including job postings, candidate activity, and salary benchmarks.

In the face of longstanding recruitment challenges, staying on top of the latest trends has never been more crucial for finding and retaining the talent your business needs. That’s where the Hospitality Hiring Insider comes in.

Alongside key trends and stats you’ll find practical tips and actionable advice to help you attract and keep top talent.

The latest Hospitality Hiring Insider includes:

  • The impact of the wider market on hospitality
  • UK economy insights for your business
  • Trends in job postings, candidate searches, and applications
  • A comparison of hospitality with the broader job market
  • Essential salary benchmarking data
  • Insights from industry leaders on hiring challenges and strategies

With further analysis of regional, sub-discipline, and job role trends, you’ll find everything you need to ramp up your plans for the remainder of the year.

So, let’s get started.

Read on and download the report to access the key insights and practical tips that will shape your hiring strategies for the months to come.

A quick glance at the market

According to the Office for National Statistics, by the end of May 2024, 2.8 million people were working in the UK’s hospitality sector, reflecting an 11% increase in the size of the pre-Covid-19 workforce.

This means that incredibly, a tenth of all jobs in the UK are now within the hospitality sector. With Caterer.com data showing that the number of vacancies in the industry rose by 76% in the first half of the year, it seems that there’s more to come. With an action-packed summer in full swing, our research indicates that 80% of hospitality employers intend to increase their recruitment in the coming months, creating almost 1 million new roles.

However, as hospitality employers look to hire an average of seven additional staff members, skills shortages mean that a quarter are struggling to find the candidates they need.

Key takeaways

In Q2 of 2024, Caterer.com listed over 110,000 roles per month, marking a 9% increase from the previous year. This surge was particularly notable in vacancies for restaurant, housekeeping, and pub/bar staff, as employers geared up for a bustling summer season.

What’s more, Q2 saw a 29% increase in job postings compared to Q1 2024, indicating that this trend is gathering pace, and that the industry is poised for further growth.

Across all industries, there has been 5 % fewer vacancies advertised year-on-year, meaning that the thriving hospitality industry now commands a larger share of the job market than ever before.

So, when you consider that Caterer.com research has found that over half (52%) of people are open to a career in hospitality, it seems there may be a pool of would-be candidates currently employed in other, potentially transferable, roles.

Growing candidate interest

Fortunately, candidate activity is keeping pace with growing employer demand.
With a surge in Google searches for hospitality roles, increased website visits, and an improving view of the sector, Caterer.com has witnessed a significant rise in the number of job applications.
So, even with a growing number of vacancies available, there has been a notable 34% increase in the average number of applications per vacancy (APV). In June alone, there were an average of 48 applications per vacancy, highlighting a highly engaged and interested talent pool.
This increase in candidate interest is particularly pronounced in London, Yorkshire, and the South East. Meanwhile, cities like Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh have also experienced spikes in candidate activity.
With hospitality now commanding a larger share of vacancies and benefiting from growing candidate interest, now is an opportune moment for employers to strategically capitalise on these trends to meet their staffing needs effectively.

Top tips from industry leaders

To help you leverage growing candidate interest and stand out in a competitive market, our report is packed with actionable insights.
Plus, as part of our ‘Caterer.com Catch Up’ series, we’ve spoken to hospitality employers to understand their challenges and hear their strategies first hand.
Here’s a sneak peek.

Shout about flexibility

Highlight the inherent flexibility of hospitality careers – from diverse contract types to adaptable schedules. By showcasing these benefits, you position your business as progressive and aligned with the evolving needs of today’s workforce. Rachael Cosgrove, underscores the importance of this.

Promote clear paths for career development

With 20% of people open to embarking on a hospitality career that offers clear progression routes, it’s vital that learning and development initiatives are highlighted across all your job adverts and employer touchpoints. Mike Phillips emphasises this.

Ensure you offer a competitive compensation package

As things stand, only 17% of people believe hospitality roles are well-paid. To ensure your salary and benefits packages are competitive use our salary benchmarking data to adjust your offerings and prominently feature them to attract top candidates. James Walton highlights the importance of fairness and competitiveness in the package you offer.

Find out more

To hear more from these industry leaders and stay ahead in the hospitality hiring game, download the complete Caterer.com Hospitality Hiring Insider report.

Packed with detailed analysis by region, city, job role, and sub-discipline, along with actionable tips, salary benchmarks, and insights from Caterer.com, NoMad, Nightcap, and San Carlo, this report is your key to making informed hiring decisions.

Download now
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