Brexit causes one in 10 hospitality workers to consider leaving the UK

Brexit causes one in 10 hospitality workers to consider leaving the UK

A survey concludes that one in 10 (11%) of hospitality employees are thinking of leaving the UK as a result of Brexit. The survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of software company Planday, found that the figure, equivalent to around 300,000 UK employees, was a long way off the 4% staff loss predicted by employers in the industry.
3% of hospitality managers precited that they would be forced to close their businesses due to Brexit, and almost one in five have found staff recruitment harder now than this time last year. 

John Coldicutt, chief commercial officer at Planday, said: “These findings show to us the depth of the potential impact of Brexit on the UK economy, with the hospitality industry being hit especially hard. 

“There’s clearly false confidence within the hospitality sector with almost three times as many workers considering leaving as managers expect. Now more than ever it’s crucial that managers make sure they have the right infrastructure in place to engage their employees and build genuine loyalty.” ​

Specific Concerns
In terms of specific worker concerns, 24% of staff polled who were born outside the UK expressed concern about being forced to leave the country, while 11% of all staff polled expected to see a pay decrease and 6% expected to have to work longer hours as a result of Brexit. 

45% of hospitality managers want the government to offer more support to the sector after Brexit and 30% want specific work permits to protect staff born outside of the UK. 

Overall, the survey found that 53% of hospitality workers felt the UK had become a less welcoming place to live and work as a result of the Brexit vote. 

However, of the businesses surveyed, 76% said they were ‘Brexit-ready’, with 10% training or upskilling (8%) staff, 15% recruiting from different markets such as older employees or working parents, 8% increasing salaries, 4% increasing staff benefits and 9% aiming to increase flexibility for workers.