Visit Northumberland launches job vacancies group to help under-pressure tourism and hospitality sector

It has made the move in response to the current labour squeeze being felt across the tourism and hospitality sector,

It is coordinating vacancies from across its partner network of nearly 600 visitor economy businesses to provide a focal point for those currently seeking work in the sector.

"Following feedback from our partners and regional neighbours, as well as taking an anecdotal temperature check of vacancies within the sector on a weekly basis, we are acutely aware of the pressure the tourism and hospitality industry is under during what is an extremely busy period," said David Collier, head of partnerships for Visit Northumberland.

"By providing a simple platform that businesses and individuals can access freely, we hope to play our part in supporting our partners to weather the current difficulties so that they can focus on maximising recovery efforts whilst demand is strong."

He continued: "We recognise, however, that the current immediate issues being experienced by our partners are only a small part of a much larger skills and labour market challenge that is keenly felt throughout the region and one identified as a priority in the emerging Destination Management Plan.

"The stark reality is in 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people employed in tourism in Northumberland fell 56% to 6,943.

"In response, we continue to work strategically with partner organisations, including schools and colleges, in providing training and development opportunities to impress on the next generation the benefits and legitimacy of a long-term career in tourism."

Patricia Lopez, from the Angel Inn in Corbridge, said: "Since we reopened in April this year, it has been challenging for us, we did not anticipate this level of staff shortage. We have made efforts to hire staff for all our core operations, with almost no success, and at times have had to turn down customers to maintain our quality of service

"We are grateful to Visit Northumberland for their support, and the Facebook group is certainly a great way to help us reach more people, and perhaps a better way to attract people than the traditional job portals."

To find out more visit the new Facebook group ‘Tourism & Hospitality Jobs in Northumberland’

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