Catering Job Market still safe from Brexit backlash, says research
CV-Library’s latest Q3 data reveals that the Brexit backlash is yet to hit the catering sector.
As salaries continued to rise, job growth saw an increase, with candidate appetite remaining strong when compared to year on year data.
The report, which analysed data from July, August and September 2016, revealed that job growth has spiked by 27% in the catering sector, compared to the previous year, making it one of the top five sectors for job growth in Q3 and outpacing the national average of 8.1%.
Alongside this, applications were up by 2.4%. While this is a positive indication, it’s clear that this figure is not quite keeping pace with job creation in the catering sector, according to the report. This could place organisations in the industry in a compromising position if they aren’t able to find the talent they need to stay afloat at a time of ongoing uncertainty.
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “Our findings are certainly a positive indication that the catering sector’s job market did not fall victim to the typical ‘summer slowdown’ this year, especially given that there is still a great amount of uncertainty around the impact of the Brexit vote on UK jobs. Business confidence and candidate appetite is high, but it’s clear that there is still room for catering organisations to work harder to tap into the talent pool and drive up application rates in the sector.”
Salaries in the catering sector also increased in Q3, rising by 8.2% when compared to the previous year. It’s clear that the industry is pushing hard to attract top talent, as this figure greatly outpaced the national average increase of 3.3% year-on-year. It is also above the national inflation rate, which is a positive indication that business confidence in the catering industry is high and that the sector is standing strong in the face of ongoing uncertainty.
Biggins added: “While all eyes of late have been firmly focused on the UK’s economy as a result of the much talked about Brexit and a weakened currency, our findings do paint a positive picture for the catering industry. It is still unknown exactly how the labour market will be affected by these changes, but with formal negotiations around the UK’s intention to leave the EU not taking place until the early part of next year, it’s important that we sit tight and focus on the fact that the current job market is still performing well and that catering organisations are continuing to invest in their current and future workforces.”
