A hotelier has called for the UK's benefits system to be overhauled as the hospitality sector is 'crying out for more staff' at a time when so many people are on benefits. Toby Ashworth, owner of the Nare hotel in Cornwall, believes work needs to be made more attractive than being on employment benefits in a bid to fill the vacancies in the area.
The hospitality sector was hit hard during the Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdowns which forced pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels to shut for several months at a time for two years running. The uncertainty of work in the industry has seen some staff leave their hospitality jobs post-lockdown, having decided it is no longer for them or that they can earn more somewhere else.
Combine that with additional Brexit-related red tape involved in hiring foreign workers who might have worked in the county's hotels in the past, and the result has been that many businesses in the hospitality industry have struggled to recruit new staff to fill the gaps. This has led many hoteliers to push up wages, with some entry-level jobs in some hotels and restaurants in the area offering £11 an hour and increased benefits.
