18 Jun Kiwi Recruitment finds Success in tough Hospitality Labour Market

The hospitality industry has had a tough 14 months; They have had to face multiple closures due to various lockdowns, and then learn how to operate under an immense number of restrictions when they have been able to open. The 17^th of May was supposed to be the beginning of the end to these tough times, with hospitality finally able to reopen for indoor dining as well as outdoors, though still restricted to socially distanced tables and table service.

Unfortunately, more challenges awaited. The effects of lockdown have created an unexpected candidate-driven market in the UK labour market. The number of vacancies has now been estimated to have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, but the size of the candidate pool has stagnated. This has created an ever-growing skills gap that is affecting all industries but is also having a large impact on the hospitality industry in particular.

The most recent data from the Office for National Statistics show that 21% of hospitality workers were still on furlough between 17^th May to 31^st May. This is a 10% decrease compared to the start of the month, most likely due to the industry being able to reopen its indoor dining facilities.

There was a reported 45,000 vacancies in the hospitality industry between February and April this year. Despite this huge rise in vacancies in the sector, furlough rates remain somewhat high, suggesting that workers are choosing to stay on furlough with their current employer rather than find a new job in the same industry.

There is a variety of potential reasons for this with the pandemic heavily influencing candidate behaviour in the current job market. Job security is a huge factor, with a lot of workers reluctant to leave their current position for a new role until the pandemic and economic situation have improved, even if they are currently on furlough. The pandemic has also created a bigger focus on work/life balance, causing candidates to focus their attentions on vacancies that offer a better work/life balance.

This has created a huge challenge for the hospitality industry, with more and more businesses turning to recruitment agencies to help fill their vacancies.

How Kiwi Recruitment are responding to this trend

Here at Kiwi Recruitment, we have not been totally immune to the effects of the current job market trends. We currently have multiple clients in the hospitality industry desperately seeking staff, particularly back of house roles, within the current talent pool. 

However, all hope is not lost. Our team of recruiters have decades of experience between them and have worked in recruitment through some of the most drastic changes to the UK job market, making them experts with access to the best talent pool whatever the job market. We have also recently invested more heavily into the software and databases available to us, widening our talent pool while still ensuring that it is only full of high-quality candidates that are most suitable for our clients.

We also pride ourselves on being up to date with the latest trends in the job market. By ensuring we are up to date we can then act as quickly as possible to changes in the job market, putting ourselves and our clients in the best possible place to fill vacancies.

Our recent recruitment success despite the tough hospitality labour market

Our response to the current changes and trends in the job market has meant we have still had some amazing success in hospitality recruitment despite the tough job market, with our most recent and notable success coming from our superstar resourcer Anna!

Anna is a highly experienced resourcer and dedicates her time to resourcing candidates for our many hospitality clients. As you can imagine, that has not been the easiest task as of late. But Anna has gone above and beyond and has sent all our hospitality clients a fantastic supply of high-quality candidates for their consideration.

Anna has also made it a point to keep in frequent contact with the candidates she finds, even if they are not suitable or successful for the position they were originally intended, which is absolutely essential in the current job market.

All this hard work paid off for Anna this week when she successfully placed a candidate within less than 24 hours of receiving the vacancy! When a request for a head chef from a new hospitality client came through the same time that other contrasting news that a candidate’s interview, with another client, didn’t work out, Anna was quick to act and contacted the candidate to put them forward for the position with the new client, who was invited and attended an interview within half an hour. The very next morning our client sent us through a job offer for the candidate. This was quickly received and accepted.

This is just one example of such a huge success given the current market in the hospitality industry, making the client, candidate, and of course the Kiwi Recruitment team very happy indeed!

How can Kiwi Recruitment help your hospitality business?

If your hospitality business is in need of staff, there is no doubt that we are the best recruitment agency to help you!

Our team of pro-active and dedicated resourcers make use of all the assets available to them to seek out and bring forward the best talent in the area to your vacancy. This not only gives you a higher chance of filling your vacancy quicker but also increases the chance of getting the right candidate the first time around.

Our team of recruiters are also absolute experts in their field. Their experience and up-to-date knowledge of market trends make them the best placed to advise you on how to get the best candidates for your vacancy, such as providing salary insights and creating tailored job advertisements.

You can use the Kiwi Recruitment website to submit a job vacancy. Or if you would like to contact a member of the team directly, give us a call on 01243 782763 or email [email protected].

Read more articles and news from Kiwi Recruitment here

To keep up to date on all the latest opportunities, follow us on social media; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram