Multi-million pound recruitment drive launches in Westminster to combat staffing crisis

A new hospitality recruitment initiative has been launched to tackle the industry’s staffing crisis.

Westminster Works is a new multi-million pound scheme from a group of recruitment agencies and developers and funded by Westminster City Council.

More than 100 industry leaders are aiming to fill more than 2,000 vacancies at hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs in the area.

It comes as the number of unfilled jobs in the UK’s hospitality and leisure sectors has risen by almost 100,000 since before the pandemic.

Kate Nichols, CEO of UKHospitality, said: ‘The number of job vacancies in the hospitality sector has reached record highs and this scheme could not come soon enough for those dedicated and hard-working businesses that have been poleaxed by Covid, both during the restrictions caused by the pandemic and the after-effects as they try to recover.

‘Workers will be afforded better working and employment conditions under this scheme, which is increasingly important in the current cost of living crisis.’

The service will focus on attracting those not currently in the employment pool, with a focus on early retirees, parents, carers, people with learning difficulties, and ex-offenders.

Employers involved in the scheme will be required to guarantee that they will pay at least the London Living Wage.

Geoff Barraclough from Westminster City Council said: ‘We are very proud to be the first council in the country to launch a scheme of this kind, which tackles the urgent recruitment crisis that the hospitality and leisure industries are facing.

‘This will be a win-win for both businesses and workers, and we hope that Westminster Works becomes a model for similar schemes across the entire country to help the industry get back on its feet. I urge eligible businesses to sign up now.’

Westminster Works was created by Step Ahead, New West End Company, Knightsbridge Partnership, Step Ahead Recruitment Agency, and AttisTowns.

Read more industry news here