Impact of points-based immigration system on UK’s restaurant and hospitality industry

Following the news that ‘low-skilled’ (which includes ‘waiting tables’) workers won’t get visas under post-Brexit immigration plans, Jurgen Ketel, MD EMEA at Givex explains the impact this will have on the hospitality and restaurant industry in the UK:

“According to a KPMG report, a quarter of employees in the UK’s restaurant and hospitality industries are from the EU – amounting to some three million workers. Following the new points-based immigration system, it’s safe to say that the hospitality business will struggle to hire enough staff, not least because ‘waiting tables’ would be removed from the new skilled category.

“Technology has long been used to help fill gaps in the labour force. When it comes to restaurants, technology can (and has already, in some cases) be used to do more with less staff. Kiosks, table ordering devices and kitchen display systems will help run operations more efficiently and with less staff. Newer, more intelligent electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems allow more orders to be processed faster and more accurately, by fewer people. In short, the latest restaurant tech covers a fuller range of management, staff, and customer needs than ever before. According to a recent survey by Givex, nearly two thirds (57%) expect to increase hiring this year, so this should be welcome news to many in the industry right about now.

“Restaurant owners who need to hire new staff might also want to look at different talent pools. According to the Givex survey, the most important skills that restaurant owners look for when hiring staff are good communication skills (56%), team player (52%) customer service skills (48%). With that in mind, someone might not need hospitality experience – perhaps those with a sports background might be good communicators and team players, for example.”