The Caterer.com Hospitality Hiring Insider, which analysed job advert data and the views of 600 hospitality professionals, found over one in five (22%) hospitality businesses are already seeing a surge in bookings for the Football World Cup and almost three in ten (29%) are hiring more staff to cope with the anticipated demand.

More than a quarter of hospitality businesses (27%) are seeing bookings increase for Christmas already, which is higher than previous years. The sector continues to be challenged by a shrinking talent pool, with the Caterer.com revealing 200,000 international workers left the industry since 2019.

Two thirds (67%) of hospitality employers believe the challenges of the labour shortages and decline in international workers has encouraged businesses to be more creative about how they hire workers from the UK.

Kathy Dyball, director at Caterer.com, commented: “It's encouraging to see that hiring remaining remains resilient and that hospitality businesses are actively preparing for a busy period driven by the World Cup and festive season. The industry has worked so hard to get to this point, adapting hiring strategies and increasing the inclusivity of its workforce.

“However, with the backdrop of an uncertain economy and a cost-of-living crisis, there is no doubt that further Government support is essential. Greater clarity on how long specific sector support will last, will enable businesses to plan ahead more robustly and with confidence.”

The full report can be downloaded here.