The great Brexit chef shortage
Huge recruiting crisis sees plans for new restaurants shelved in...
BRITAIN’S restaurateurs are facing a recruitment crisis with higher costs, tougher competition and the effect of Brexit – and things are only going to get worse, say key industry figures.
Fears over workers’ rights following Britain’s exit from the European Union mean that restaurants are finding it harder to recruit staff and retain existing employees.
According to a recent survey by accountancy group KPMG for the British Hospitality Association, a quarter of all chefs are from the Continent. Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the BHA, said: ‘The success of the UK’s food scene depends on an ability to hire leading chefs from Europe and beyond. But we’re hearing that owners have been forced to delay or abandon plans to open new restaurants due to the uncertainty surrounding the future rights of EU citizens in the UK.
‘This level of uncertainly is putting off skilled workers and is affecting investment decisions.’
The hospitality industry is already facing a staffing crisis. It needs to attract 200,000 new workers a year to replace natural churn.
Following the Brexit vote, it is estimated it will need an extra 60,000 each year, or risk facing a jobs shortfall of a million staff by 2029. When it comes to chefs working in Britain’s hotels, restaurants and cafes, the problem becomes even more pronounced.
There was already an acute problem for restaurants before the Brexit vote and we now face a predicted shortage of over 11,000 chefs by 2020, Ibrahim says. ‘This shortage isn’t limited to European chefs but also applies to highly skilled chefs from India and China.
‘Restaurants are being squeezed by immigration rules and while the industry is moving to encourage UK nationals to see the career opportunities available, we still need access to chefs who have the knowledge and understanding to teach the next generation.’
She added: ‘We’ve seen a worrying fall-off in the number of EU workers since the referendum and businesses are really beginning to feel the pinch.
‘EU workers have been leaving their jobs in hotels and restaurants and going back to their home countries, which is a huge concern. People are uncertain whether they’ll be allowed to stay in the UK and aren’t feeling very welcome here.’
The Bangladesh Caterers Association, which represents 12,000 restaurants, backed the Vote Leave campaign on assurances there would be more visas for South Asian chefs. Now it says it feels betrayed by the hurdles owners face in bringing in chefs from outside the EU and says many curry houses are at risk of closure.
Meanwhile hospitality firms from healthy fast food chain Leon to The Eden Hotel Collection have warned that difficulties hiring skilled staff from the EU could have a huge impact on their business. Last week food delivery company Just Eat added to the debate, saying that businesses in the takeaway sector, especially small firms, face a tough time due to skills shortages, particularly in kitchens producing curry, sushi and Chinese food.
Just Eat’s UK managing director, Graham Corfield, said: ‘As with many industries, the takeaway sector faces a pending skills shortage. In a post-Brexit environment, restaurant owners tell us there are real fears they will be unable to hire the workers they need.
‘The great British curry crisis has been well reported, but the issue has the potential to affect small independent businesses offering all cuisines alike.’
Corfield called on the Government to review immigration rules for skilled workers, to improve skills and training within the industry and to fix the business rates issue to help smaller businesses.
Other factors are also affecting the industry adversely, said Andrew Green, director of operations at the Craft Guild of Chefs.
‘When people realise the job involves long, anti-social hours, or that they have to spend years working their way up through the profession – unlike the overnight successes seen on MasterChef or The Great British Bake Off – and all for a low salary, then they often drop out of the industry,’ he said.
The solution, he said, was to improve training, engagement, salaries and hours, adding: ‘This is an issue of our own making and it’s time we did something about it.’
Chris Todd is chef recruitment manager at The Ned, one of London’s newest hotels and part of the Soho House group. He agrees with Green, saying: ‘The industry has a real problem with recruiting chefs, mainly because it doesn’t treat chefs well and hasn’t shown them a great deal of respect.’
A chef de partie – who oversees a section of the kitchen – would usually have four years’ experience and be paid £23,000 a year, he said.
Often they would be expected to work a 60 to 70-hour week, he added, explaining: ‘A lot of places don’t even pay overtime so you’re working many hours for free.’
Todd recently hired 161 chefs for The Ned’s nine restaurants, thanks to a recruitment drive around the UK and in Italy and Spain.
The chefs are on a training programme and get perks such as two weeks’ discounted stay at the hotel when they arrive, a hotel discount card and a trip to its rooftop pool.
‘It’s all about keeping them engaged and positive about their job,’ says Todd. ‘We want to keep the staff we have.’