TRADE group the Scottish Hospitality group (SHG) has called for the introduction of a migrant worker visa for the hospitality sector.
The SHG has said that a lack of staff is “preventing businesses from opening to capacity” and, even with more people expected to return to the workforce after the furlough scheme winds up at the end of September, the sector still faces a shortfall.
Access to workers from the EU through temporary one or two-year visas would “make sure all businesses can recruit the right talent”, said the group.
SHG member Nic Wood, owner of Signature Group, said it is “incredibly frustrating that after all we’ve been through that we can’t get enough staff to open up our venues to their full capacity or hours”.
“The issues of furlough, lack of staff and supply chain complications are jeopardising hospitality’s ability to try and scrabble back to pre-COVID trade levels,” said Wood.
“We need a visa scheme to plug the employment void that has appeared since Brexit. It’s imperative that the four nations work together to encourage people into the country that want to do these jobs so that the economy has enough staff to get back to pre-COVID levels.”
