Businesses in the hospitality sector must adapt if they are to win the post-pandemic talent war.
The Office for National Statistics said there were 862,000 jobs on offer between April and June, 77,500 higher than the first three months of 2020.
Demand was greatest in sectors including hospitality, retailing, hospitality and logistics, something that is being exacerbated by the growing number of people having to self-isolate after being pinged.
Lorna Davidson, CEO of Redwigwam, the UK’s leading flexible working company, said the events of the last 18 months had dramatically altered the kind of work many people are looking for.
Workers are now looking for a greater mix of flexibility, higher pay, more perks and better rights.
Lorna said: “A combination of Covid-19 and Brexit means that there are fewer European Union workers available in the UK for many roles in hospitality that they would have traditionally filled.
“The hospitality industry is under huge pressure as it moves to opening up fully again after the seismic events of the last 18 months.
“The recruitment challenge is being further intensified because of the vast number of people being pinged and having to self-isolate.
“We are telling employers they need to adapt to ensure they have the best chance of capturing the people they need.
“Businesses also have to meet the greater expectations that workers have for their working lives.
“They have to be willing to negotiate on everything in order to get the right staff including paying more, offering flexible work, greater perks and benefits and travel to and from work. They also have to be willing to pay a premium to people working unsociable hours.
“We are seeing people leaving jobs in hospitality where they aren’t happy with the management style. Employers need to take a close look at their managers and their skill sets and training because people won’t put up with a bad manager any longer.
“Some workers are being drawn to the logistics and warehousing sector and away from hospitality because they often pay better.”
Redwigwam has its own bespoke AI-powered staffing platform to match its database of over 150,000 flexible workers with its 4,500 registered businesses.
The intuitive on-demand and pay-as-you-go platform matches workers to jobs in their local area that require the skills they have, and workers can book whichever jobs they wish.
All its workers are vetted and validated for their right to work in the UK. Redwigwam pays workers quickly and is the only business in the UK to offer payment within 24 hours.
Redwigwam works with some of the biggest blue-chip companies in the UK, including Coca-Cola, Argos, Sodexo, Land Rover, Tesco and Kellogg’s.