NI hotels bouncing back but struggling to recruit
Hotel room occupancy in NI for the year so far is at 66.4%, just four percentage points shy of pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2019, however recruitment remains a major problem.
Figures published by industry body STR show the market has been picking up month by month during 2022.
During June, the occupancy rate was 81.1% with an average room rate £107.41.
Janice Gault, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation the federation’s chief executive, said: “Overall, Belfast has seen the strongest performance supported by events, return of conferences and its attraction as a short break destination. Other locations continue to report good trading based on leisure, weddings and the return of tour business.
“The sector is working to get back to pre-pandemic levels though there are challenges. The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation has been working with members to assess staffing levels and vacancies within the sector. A recent member poll highlighted how performance is being curtailed by recruiting difficulties. There are currently 146 hotels trading in Northern Ireland and, with a full staffing complement, they would support 10,000 direct positions. All hotels polled had vacancies which equate to around 1,000 jobs to be filled.
“The main vacancies relate to chefs and kitchen staff. However, over 50% of those polled had housekeeping, restaurant, bar service, supervisory and management roles. If you consider this alongside the Labour Market Report released by NISRA this week which shows a record number of 775,400 (70.1%) people receiving pay through HMRC PAYE in June, this is the tenth consecutive month that this figure has grown.
“The unemployment rate sits at 2.6% with a worrying 28% of those deemed eligible to work in Northern Ireland being economically inactive. Attracting new employees remains key to restoration of the industry and yet it has proven to be one of the greatest challenges facing the sector over the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already difficult position.”
The figures were revealed by STR ahead of Hospitality Exchange 2022, which takes place in the Crowne Plaza Belfast on the 11th and 12th October 2022.
Whether you own, manage or work in a hotel, B&B, pub, restaurant, museum, airline or coffee shop, if you’re interested in developing and want to tap into innovation to drive business, then Hospitality Exchange is where you need to be. For further information, log on to hospitalityexchange.org.uk.
