Is hospitality really the place young people get their start?

Hospitality likes to describe itself as the place where young people get their start and the government is now planning foundation apprenticeships in the sector to match. Both assume the jobs are there and the only task is to steer young people towards them.

In this week's issue, I look at whether that assumption holds up. Vacancies have fallen from around 175,000 in 2022 to about 70,000 today, which is a quarter below their 2019 level. Hours per worker are down and weekly pay has fallen even though the minimum hourly rate has risen.

So what does that mean for the young people being pointed towards the industry and for the apprenticeships meant to help them? This week’s briefing takes a closer look at what the numbers are really telling us.

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