Death Of The Great British Summer Holiday Job?

There are 22,369 fewer unique postings for jobs in hospitality this year, compared to the same period in 2024, according to new data from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

Hospitality and tourism are sectors that provide hundreds of thousands of people with casual and temporary work during the busy summer months. This is particularly beneficial for students returning from university or college, and teenagers looking for their first job. The fall in vacancies puts at risk the skills and development provided by hospitality as a first job.

It comes at a time when demand for tourism in the UK is booming. Spend on day visits by tourists in England rose by 6% in 2024 to £48.4 billion, following a 15% year-on-year increase in 2023. In April this year, the latest monthly data available, Brits took 68.6m visits within the UK, up 10% year-on-year.

This drastic fall in hiring follows significant changes to employer NICs, most notably the lowering of the threshold announced in last year’s Budget, which have resulted in £3.4 billion additional annual cost for hospitality businesses. Since that announcement, 84,000 jobs have been lost in the sector.

Allen Simpson, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said:
“This is the time when hospitality businesses would be frantically hiring staff for the busy summer months, when the sector expects to welcome families to their hotels, and serve millions of people with ice cream on the beach, fish and chips on the pier, and cold pints in the pub garden.

“I know from personal experience how important hospitality summer jobs are for getting young people experience of work, however hiring this year has fallen off dramatically, with 22,000 fewer jobs available compared to last year. It is sadly reflective of the impact we have seen from increased costs over the past nine months – less employment, less opportunity and less growth in the economy.

“Unless the Government acts, we could well be seeing the death of the great British summer job. That’s not good for the economy, for businesses, or for the people that need this flexible work during the summer.

“We need to see action at the Budget to reverse this damage. That starts with fixing NICs, lowering business rates and cutting VAT for hospitality businesses.”

Neil Carberry, REC Chief Executive, said:
“Hospitality is one of the UK’s biggest entry points into work, but right now, we are shutting people out before they even get a foot in the door. A drop of over 22,000 job postings as we reach the height of the summer season is not just a staffing gap, it is a red flag for the wider economy. It puts recruiters, hospitality businesses and customers under massive pressure to make the most of the short-lived English summer.

“We cannot keep loading new costs onto employers if we want vibrant high streets, thriving pubs and strong local economies. The government needs to deliver an Autumn Budget that supports hiring, which means no tax timebombs, a rethink on business rates and recognising hospitality as a vital engine for national growth.”