Hospitality sector struggling to fill vacant positions

Hospitality bosses across the region have described a staffing "crisis" as they struggle to fill vacant positions. The revelation comes as restrictions eased further on Monday of this week. The Slieve Russell and Farnham Estate are both engaging in recruitment drives, while most hotels in the county are advertising a variety of positions.

Managers are pointing the finger at rolling lockdowns in the sector, anti social hours, students returning to college and generous Pandemic Unemployment Payments (PUPs) as contributing to their woes in recruitment.

Some workers, who found themselves temporarily laid off, found jobs in other sectors such as courier companies.

The proprietor of the Dun Á Rí Hotel in Kingscourt, Sonya McMahon, put the dire crisis into stark perspective when she declared this week "we have not opened yet for anything!" It could be Spring 2022 before she is back in business.

She revealed that recruiting chefs is the biggest challenge and highlighted there are almost 700 vacancies currently advertised online for chefs in Meath alone.

"There is no point in trying to run the ship here without chefs. We are well known for our food and our steaks," said Sonya.

"We are waiting to see what happens when the PUP ends – maybe people will want to work again," she surmised, adding she does not see things getting back on an even keel in the hospitality sector until next year at least.

When asked where all the chefs had gone, Sonya detailed: "They have all gone to day jobs. They don’t want to work the unsociable hours anymore. There has been a shortage for the past five or six years, but this has definitely put the tin hat on it. We could not get restaurant or bar staff this summer at all."

James Ausden owner of Inside Out Restaurant in Slane said: “There certainly is a shortage in experienced hospitality staff. I think a lot of people from the industry have felt the benefit of working normal hours and spending more time with family.

“We have been very lucky with chefs for now but floor staff and kitchen porters especially, seem very hard to find.

“Our floor staff are much younger than previous and have little or no experience, although they are fantastic with customers, and we get so many compliments on their characters and kindness.

“The industry will be behind in professional staff for many years I would think.

“We just need to keep fighting for an industry built on passion rather than financial gain.”