Hawksmoor made the decision in the midst of a recruitment crisis in the hospitality sector, driven by Covid.

Pub chains Marston’s and Mitchells and Butlers have also warned they were finding it hard to recruit workers, blaming overseas staff returning home and the stop-start nature of lockdown forcing people to give up on the sector.

One recruitment company reported a 95% rise in hospitality job adverts over the last three weeks as the sector reopens and increases capacity.

‘Thriving profession’

Perfect Recruitment’s Lisa Brady said: “It is understandable that there is some natural hesitation over returning to work in the hospitality industry after such a turbulent 12 months of uncertainty; but as the wheels of industry start turning again, now is the time to re-join such a thriving profession and the chance to actively seek out your next challenge.

“According to the ONS* there are 335,000 fewer people employed in the hospitality industry compared to last year and this just really highlights the incredible opportunities that are out there for candidates across the board, from front of house and management positions to chefs and event managers in both full and part time roles.”

Latest figures from global recruitment firm Broadbean Technology found that in April, vacancies in UK hospitality soared 77% from the previous month. However, compared with April 2020, the number of applications slumped 82%.

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Hospitality Ulster, the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium and the NI Jobs & Benefits Office network have come together to highlight the employment opportunities and transferable skills that former retail staff possess.

The organisations said hospitality owners and ex-retail staff should use the JobCentre Online (JCOL) digital platform to connect with each other.

Aodhán Connolly, Director of NI Retail Consortium said: “The pandemic has been very tough on the retail sector and has seen both small retailers and household names stumble, resulting in redundancies.

“Whilst there is still a bright future for many retail outlets, it is important that we work together to highlight employment opportunities for those who have regrettably lost their jobs in the retail industry due to the current crisis.

“The hospitality sector, with vacancies currently across all types of business, offers opportunities to those who have a range of transferable skills and know what excellent customer service looks like.”

Colin Neill, Chief Executive of Hospitality Ulster, added: “Like hospitality, the retail sector has had a turbulent time particularly over the last year. Regrettably, some businesses in both hospitality and retail have been forced to close.

And Ashley Russell-Cowan, Head of Employer Services Branch with the Department for Communities said: “The JCOL platform supports both the posting of vacancies and the submissions of available applicants to assist and match supply of workforce to meet the demands of the hospitality sector.

“It gives employers the opportunity to manage applications in a convenient manner while also allowing jobseekers to target their search for jobs in the sector they wish to work.”

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One of the best known figures in Northern Ireland’s hospitality sector has told LCN that he believes current difficulties around the sourcing of suitably qualified staff here are getting worse.

Respected chef and hospitality trainer, Sean Owens, has also likened the full impact of Brexit on existing recruitment problems in Northern Ireland to “a juggernaut” which, he says, is approaching but has yet to strike.

Speaking in mid-August, Sean said that he and others had been telling politicians in Northern Ireland about the urgent need for redress in hospitality recruitment for some time

“We have been drawing attention to this since well before the Executive went down and the reality now is that the situation is getting worse,” he added.

“I was in Dublin recently and they have built 79 hotels there in eight years. Yesterday, I looked at the skyline in Belfast and hotels are opening up everywhere. The question needs to be asked, where are the staff coming from? We can’t get housekeepers, chefs or waiters, so what are we going to do?”

Calling for the restoration of hospitality as a ‘priority skills area’, Sean said that it was essential that the industry be made more appealing to potential new recruits:

“Industry attractiveness issues are one of the biggest things affecting us at present,” he added.

Sean also indicated that in his new role as culinary arts training manager with WorldSkills UK, he would be “trying to grasp the nettle” and make a difference for the sector in the UK as a whole, particularly in relation to major issues such as Brexit:

“This is going to be a showstopper for a lot of us,” he warned. “No-one knows the implications of this. Things are fairly good at the moment, you can see that on the Belfast skyline, but my own view is that there is a juggernaut waiting for us when we realise that our supply of so-called foreign workers is no longer available to us and the skills gap, which has been widening, will become an epidemic.”

Afraid

Sean also said that he believed it wasn’t acceptable for government to “sit on their hands and pontificate from their silos”:

“I think all of them are afraid of Brexit,” he stated. “But whether you look at this as an opportunity or as a dysfunctional effort to get yourself into whatever jurisdiction you favour, the reality for all of us is that this uncertainty isn’t helping secure the development of our young people in hospitality.

“But we are trying to solve the problem in a very piecemeal manner. What we need now is a multidisciplinary approach, it’s not just about chefs, the public and private sectors need to work together. On a personal basis, I am trying hard, lobbying and networking with hotels and restaurants on the ground to try and find some approach that will alleviate these problems, at least for a while.”

Originally from Derry-Londonderry, Sean Owens is well-known across the entire hospitality industry in Northern Ireland. Previously the owner and head chef of Gardiners G2 restaurant in Magherafelt and a key figure in the establishment of the catering department at Springvale Training Ltd., in west Belfast, Sean now operates his own independent chef consultancy, SoFood in tandem with his new role at WorldSkills UK, where he is responsible for training UK WorldSkills squad members in preparation for international cookery competitions, including the prestigious WorldSkills event itself.

For many in the sector locally, however, Sean is best known for his long-running association with the leading hospitality and retail event, IFEX, where he has been deeply involved as Salon Culinaire director for many years.

This isn’t the first time that Sean has raised a red flag over recruitment trends in hospitality here. Speaking to LCN as far back as 2014, he warned then of a need for more people to get involved in hospitality training. He also called for greater collaboration between the industry and the training agencies in order to foster greater understanding between catering professionals and the colleges.

Competition

Sean’s new role with WorldSkills UK is based in London, although he works predominantly from his home in Ballyronan. Sean’s been involved with WorldSkills – which champions technical excellence through competition – in some form or other since 1995. In his new position as culinary arts training manager, he takes responsibility for a four-strong team of specially-selected trainees whom he then grooms for national and international competition.

The next big challenge which his team will face will be on in late September when one of them – a young female chef from Glasgow – will represent the UK in Budapest at the Euroskills 2018 event.

“I took this new position on in June following a round of intensive interviews and presentations in London at the HQ of the Craft Guild of Chefs,” said Sean. “That was quite a daunting experience but I was fairly confident because I’d gone for the same post 20 years before. I knew then that I didn’t have the time to execute it properly but now, I have a lot more strings to my bow. I understand national competitions much better and I have a sound track record in the UK and internationally for bringing people to the required standard for national and international events.”

Sean’s team will be looking forward to August next year when the international WorldSkills final is held in Kazan in Russia. Final team selection for that event will take place in March.

Meanwhile, Sean confirmed that arrangements for the next IFEX event in Belfast are progressing well. The huge hospitality and retail event returns to the city in 2020 and planning is already in progress to ensure another successful exhibition.

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