The Irish hospitality sector is calling for the government to allow more work permits for non-EU workers as businesses look set to experience staff shortages over the upcoming tourist season.
Representatives from the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) are to appear before the Oireachtas on Wednesday to discuss the lack of workers in the service industry.
Both organisations say that individual businesses are being forced to operate on five-day week schedules due to poor staffing.
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“Many pub kitchens are staying closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in particular because we simply don’t have enough staff to service a seven day business week,” Donal O’ Keeffe, CEO of the LVA, told Newstalk.
The VFI has previously spoken out on the delay in issuing work permits in Ireland, saying that it can take up to 20 weeks to process a work visa here in comparison to just 2 to 4 weeks in other countries.
Mr O’ Keeffe stated that Covid-19 is to blame for the staff shortages.
The pandemic cost the hospitality industry almost one-third of its former workforce, with many employees finding work in other areas over the course of lockdown.
The LVA have warned that the lack of staff could have a negative impact on trading over the summer months and is meeting with the government to resolve these concerns.
Mr O’ Keeffe added in a comment to the Irish Mirror: "The LVA is calling for a review of the efficacy of the work permit scheme to boost the supply of skilled staff for the hospitality sector.
"The current visa scheme is not fit for purpose for hospitality as the process itself, and the visa processing times of 9-12 weeks, are too bureaucratic and too slow for businesses requiring staff urgently."
A survey issued last year by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) found that 40,000 fewer people were employed in hospitality at the end of 2021 in comparison to pre-pandemic figures.
The VFI previously welcomed the ending of Covid-19 restrictions this January, saying it had been an immensely difficult 2 years for those working in pubs.
“Over the course of the past two years there have been numerous false starts and deep disappointment as we returned to various lockdowns, but there is a strong belief this time is different,” Chief Executive Padraig Cribben said in a statement.
“The hospitality trade can’t return to rolling lockdowns so Government must engage with the sector about meaningful solutions to keep us open.”
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