It studied the Office of National Statistics (ONS) employment data from 2018 and also found that the data indicated that the number of people working in hospitality in the UK fell by 6%.
Women took the brunt of the decline, with the estimated number of female chefs falling by 39%, whilst the number of chefs fell by 10%.
It also found hat whilst over half (56%) of people working in hospitality were women, one in four were employed as kitchen or catering assistants – the most junior roles.
However, it also indicated that the number of women in management positions is on the increase, and that in some cases, women are overtaking men. The number of women estimated to be working as catering and bar managers grew by 52% whilst the number of men stayed the same.
Craig Allen, founder and director of The Change Group, said: “The simple truth is that we need more people to want to work in the industry, especially as chefs. We need to demonstrate that this is a rewarding industry in every sense, and that there is a great career path. The dramatic decline in the number of chefs at a time when hospitality continues to thrive suggests that the real issue is sourcing chefs – it’s not a shortage of positions.
“The fact that there are now so many women working in management positions sends a strong message that hospitality can be an inclusive environment for female talent. However, the decline in the number of female chefs, at a time when some of the leading lights in London’s fine dining scene are women, is very sad. More needs to be done to ensure that roles are structured to be accessible for women throughout their careers, especially in top kitchens.
“A main concern is that immigration policy must create a candidate pool for unskilled jobs that British workers often do not wish to apply for. This is especially important as the Brexit negotiations reach their final stages. Attracting skilled talent to the UK is vital. It is also critical to ensure that we have workers willing to take jobs that British candidates are not applying for.”