Futures Forum: Brexit: and migrant workers in Devon
The problem is that we might actually need them:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and the day the immigrants left
Futures Forum: Brexit: and migrant workers in care homes and hotels >>> Who will take care of us "when the immigrants leave?"
Because:
a) 'locals' can't afford to work in the hospitality industry:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and cheap labour for the hospitality and care industries
b) they don't want to work in the hospitality industry anyway:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and Neets
Futures Forum: Brexit: and too many low paid, insecure jobs in retail and services
Futures Forum: Brexit: and the hospitality industry >>> migrant labour and low-wages
c) and there are just too many alternative better-paid jobs to attract them:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and low-skilled migrant workers: "There are parts of the country where unemployment is really, really low [such as Exeter]. Many of the young unemployed people are on the other side of the country and they are not going to come down to Exeter, and they don't."
But the migrant workers aren't coming any more:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and migrant workers not wanting to work on West Country farms
Futures Forum: Brexit: and struggling to recruit skilled labour in the food and drink industry
Futures Forum: Brexit: and the economic impact as “somewhere between difficult and disastrous” for many hotels
And it's particularly acute in seaside towns like Sidmouth:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and small seaside towns attracting seasonal staff
As the head of the Brend chain made clear last year:
Peter Brend, director of Brend Hotels, which owns the Royal Duchy Hotel in Falmouth and Carlyon Bay Hotel in St Austell along with several hotels in Devon, shared Mr Simmons' views on Brexit.
The Royal Duchy Hotel in Falmouth is part of the Brend Hotel group, whose chairman, Peter Brend, fears Brexit will be detrimental to recruitmentHe said he was concerned that Brexit could have an impact on attracting staff from the EU with the hospitality industry traditionally taking many staff from across the continent.
He said: “Brexit has stopped people coming here to work. The ones who are already here are OK but the message is already filtering back to their home countries about whether it is a good idea to come. In the last 12 months there has been a very noticeable drop in the number of people wanting to come to work here.
"Parents have been reluctant to send their children over here for training and employment. We were due to have three from Poland but we only had one of them actually come."
Food will be left to rot in fields because of Brexit, say farming industry leaders - Plymouth Live
Futures Forum: Brexit: and the West Country's Brend Hotel group's concerns about attracting staff from the EU
The manager of the Harbour Hotel (the former Westcliffe Hotel) complains that the pool of labour is inadequate - although what he fails to mention is that the hotel under both guises has relied on East European migrant labour for some time now.
The supply of local labour has not ‘dried up’: it never existed in the first place:
Foreign workers plug gap as Sidmouth hotel staff shortage bites
PUBLISHED: 15:00 17 August 2018
Richard Wright richard.wright@archant.co.uk
Foreign staff help fill gaps as local applicants dry up.
Hotels in Sidmouth are being forced to take on foreign members of staff because the supply of local talent has ‘dried up’, a hotelier has claimed.
Those who do apply for vacancies are just ‘box ticking’ to keep their benefits, says Ken Cumming - the general manager of The Harbour Hotel.
Ken has now called for action, urging for more to be done to make the industry appealing. He said: “The situation we are in at the moment is absolutely dire. As far as local staff are concerned there’s nothing. They’ve simply dried up.”
Ken said, currently, more than 40 per cent of his staff were from other countries. These include Eastern Europeans, Portuguese and Spanish workers.
“We are all in the same situation which is that we are reliant on foreign staff to maintain the business,” he added. “We say they should be fluent in English but you can get away with it in certain areas like cleaning and making beds.”
He said South Africans and Australians were also now returning to Sidmouth after years of absence, due to visa difficulties.
Anna Webb, personnel manager for Sidmouth Hotels, that includes The Elizabeth, The Kingswood and Devoran and Dukes, said: “It’s very difficult. In previous years we had a choice of people. Now we’re competing with other hotels.”
The hoteliers claimed that the problem was only exacerbated by the town’s low unemployment and high cost of living. And, they were increasingly having to compete with hotels in Exeter, that could pay more, and many did not want to work the unsociable hours.
Ken said: “The youngsters coming out of college are looking for an easy job and this is not an easy job. The only people we get applying for a position are those who are on benefits and have to be seen to be applying for a job,” he added.
Anna agreed: “We get a huge amount of people who are simply ticking a box so they can carry on claiming benefits.”
The hoteliers claimed one of the problems with taking on foreign labour was that it was often transient. And, wages in some European countries were now comparable, reducing the incentive to come here.
Anna said: “Getting youngsters into hospitality as a career is quite difficult. Lots of people use it as a bit of a stopgap.”
Ken added: “We put a lot of time and money into training people. What we would like is permanent staff to reduce the turnover.”
Hotels in Sidmouth take on foreign staff because of dire shortage of local people. | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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PUBLISHED: 15:00 17 August 2018
Richard Wright richard.wright@archant.co.uk
Foreign staff help fill gaps as local applicants dry up.
Hotels in Sidmouth are being forced to take on foreign members of staff because the supply of local talent has ‘dried up’, a hotelier has claimed.
Those who do apply for vacancies are just ‘box ticking’ to keep their benefits, says Ken Cumming - the general manager of The Harbour Hotel.
Ken has now called for action, urging for more to be done to make the industry appealing. He said: “The situation we are in at the moment is absolutely dire. As far as local staff are concerned there’s nothing. They’ve simply dried up.”
Ken said, currently, more than 40 per cent of his staff were from other countries. These include Eastern Europeans, Portuguese and Spanish workers.
“We are all in the same situation which is that we are reliant on foreign staff to maintain the business,” he added. “We say they should be fluent in English but you can get away with it in certain areas like cleaning and making beds.”
He said South Africans and Australians were also now returning to Sidmouth after years of absence, due to visa difficulties.
Anna Webb, personnel manager for Sidmouth Hotels, that includes The Elizabeth, The Kingswood and Devoran and Dukes, said: “It’s very difficult. In previous years we had a choice of people. Now we’re competing with other hotels.”
The hoteliers claimed that the problem was only exacerbated by the town’s low unemployment and high cost of living. And, they were increasingly having to compete with hotels in Exeter, that could pay more, and many did not want to work the unsociable hours.
Ken said: “The youngsters coming out of college are looking for an easy job and this is not an easy job. The only people we get applying for a position are those who are on benefits and have to be seen to be applying for a job,” he added.
Anna agreed: “We get a huge amount of people who are simply ticking a box so they can carry on claiming benefits.”
The hoteliers claimed one of the problems with taking on foreign labour was that it was often transient. And, wages in some European countries were now comparable, reducing the incentive to come here.
Anna said: “Getting youngsters into hospitality as a career is quite difficult. Lots of people use it as a bit of a stopgap.”
Ken added: “We put a lot of time and money into training people. What we would like is permanent staff to reduce the turnover.”
Hotels in Sidmouth take on foreign staff because of dire shortage of local people. | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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