Brexit & The Hospitality Industry – 5 Frequently Asked Questions
Following June 23 2016 when a majority of those voting decided they wanted to leave the European Union, the UK awaits just what will happen next. At the same time, the UK’s two major political parties, the Conservative Party and the Labour are in turmoil, tearing each other apart. Still people are asking how, will Brexit impact on hospitality industry?
5 frequently asked questions about Brexit & The Hospitality Industry:
1. How will Brexit affect the Hospitality Industry?
The answer? Still nobody know what will be the true impact of Brexit on the Hospitality Industry, nor on other businesses in the UK.
2. Before the UK leaves the EU – can I come to the UK, from another EU country, to work in the Hospitality Industry?
Yes you can. For two years from the start of Article 50 that starts the exiting of the UK from the EU, the UK remains a full member of the EU. So if you are a EU resident you can still come to the UK to work in the hospitality industry.
3. After the UK leaves the EU – will I still be able to come and work in the UK, from another EU country?
Yes, although the process many change and there is the possibility of limited numbers. However, with Brexit and the UK exiting the EU political union, remaining in the free trade area remains a possibility, and that comes with the proviso of free movement of people, which would mean things would remain as they are now largely. Many industries such as the hospitality industry are heavily reliant on workers from the EU and elsewhere so even if the UK left the EU completely, there would almost certainly be deals put in place to ensure that the hospitality industry has access to enough quality staff from the continent.
4. Is there enough UK based hospitality staff to fill the jobs currently done by people from the EU?
Most likely no. Some people look at unemployment statistics and immediately think that any shortfall in the hospitality industry as a result of people from the EU not filling them, could be filled from these people seeking work. However, this is a flawed logic. Hospitality and catering roles are highly skilled and call for very specific skill sets. The UK is suffering from a catering skills crisis and we as a country are not seeing enough youngsters coming into our catering colleges and into the industry itself.
5. When will we know more?
To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, currently we still have more ‘unknowns’ than ‘knowns’. The Brexit road has been long and we will update this regularly so please do come back to this page.
