Figures from CGA Peach’s October BrandTrack survey of 5,000 British adults found that only a quarter (24%) would recommend the hospitality industry as a career or part-time profession, while a third (34%) would not. The rest (42%) don’t know.
Peter Martin, vice president of CGA Peach, said: "Our BrandTrack research shows that only a third of people recommend hospitality as a place to work, and that is disappointing. But even more are uncertain about it, which along with a generational shift gives pubs and restaurants an opportunity to update people’s attitudes.
"Hospitality can be a great place for young people to work flexibly and build careers: the challenge for us all is to sell it as such.”
CGA claims the finding highlights the scale of the problem facing recruitment teams as they try to sell hospitality as a place to work and build a career. Many restaurants and pubs are already struggling to recruit enough good staff, and any new restrictions on the flow of foreign workers into the UK as a result of the Brexit vote will add to the challenges.
But the BrandTrack research also highlights more positive attitudes towards hospitality work among younger people. Roughly a third of those aged 18 to 24 (33%) say they would recommend the industry as a career or part-time profession, compared to fewer than one in five of those aged 45 to 54. Those living in city centres (38%) are also much more likely to recommend it than those living in suburban (18%) or rural (20%) areas.
