New research from Hospitality Rising, in partnership with research consultancy KAM, shows that 35% of UK adults say they would consider a career in hospitality, demonstrating a positive shift in the way the industry is perceived.
Progress has been driven by activity across the industry, from operators, trade bodies and suppliers plus the positive impact of the Hospitality Rising initiative and its #RiseFastWorkYoung campaign.
The results of the research also highlight that, of those who currently don’t work in the industry, the consideration to work in hospitality has increased from 52% to a staggering 81%. When benchmarked against other industries, such as education, retail and construction, hospitality has experienced the biggest increase in consideration to work over a 12-month period.
The success of the inaugural ‘Rise Fast, Work Young,’ campaign, which recently hit 105,000 job applications, is such that nearly half (46%) of the target 18 to 30-year-old demographic had seen and remembered the campaign and 76% of this group said the campaign would encourage them to work in hospitality. Encouragingly, the results were similarly high for slightly older job seekers with 75% of 31- to 40-year-olds saying the ads would encourage them to work in hospitality too.
Mark McCulloch, founder of Hospitality Rising and campaign director, said: “It is incredible to see this transformation in the way hospitality careers are perceived in less than six months of launching our first campaign. It’s much needed positive news for the industry.
“We are so proud of what the Hospitality Rising team have achieved, proving the power of what we can achieve as an industry when we truly come together to tackle important issues. This is why we will continue to champion the hospitality industry far and wide.
“Without new talent coming into the industry we will continue to struggle. The needle on total vacancies will take time to move, so we are calling on all operators big and small to invest in the campaign for year two, starting in September.
“This really is a fight to attract the talent the industry deserves but also to drive applications now. We’ve come so far in six months with 300 investors imagine what we could do with 1,000. Let’s not take a step back but keep up momentum and build on this fantastic start.”
Hospitality Rising is backed by some of the biggest names in the UK, including Whitbread, Pret, Welcome Break, Hilton, Soho House, Prezzo, Revolution Bars Group, Parkdean Resorts, Buzzworks, Claridge’s, JW Lees and The Pig. On the supplier-side, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, hospitality tech supplier Zonal, and guest WI-FI Wireless Social based marketing solution, are platinum sponsors.
Celebrity chefs including Nathan Outlaw, Tom Kerridge, Thomasina Myers OBE, Angela Hartnett OBE and Raymond Blanc OBE, have also generously given their time and support to the initiative.
Businesses looking to join the movement should register their interest by emailing hello@hospitalityrising.org
