Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2022
32. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the shortage of workers in the tourism and hospitality sector; his plans to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7021/22]
View answerThrough my Department's participation in the Hospitality and Tourism Forum, I am fully aware that recruitment continues to be a significant challenge for the tourism and hospitality sectors, with up to two-thirds of businesses reporting reduced capacity due to staff shortages. The Forum was established in late 2020 to provide a platform for structured engagement between the sectors with relevant Government Departments, allowing key issues to be discussed and practical actions identified to support the sectors.
My Department is working to support the efforts being undertaken by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Fáilte Ireland, aimed at ensuring a coordinated approach to addressing labour and skills shortages within the tourism and hospitality sectors Fáilte Ireland has recently conducted comprehensive research on the tourism and hospitality labour market. This robust and wide-ranging research programme covers the views of 1,000 employers and 3,500 workers with tourism and hospitality experience as well as international benchmarking, a review of education provision and consultation with recruitment agencies. This research is shaping Fáilte Ireland’s work programmes for the year ahead, which will focus on:
- Supporting recruitment to drive recovery: to provide support to the tourism and hospitality industry to address immediate labour and skills supply challenges, which will be critical to the short to medium term recovery.
- Supporting the long-term repositioning of the industry: to support businesses and the wider industry to work together to drive the long-term repositioning of the industry as an appealing and rewarding career choice and workplace, and ensure a future pipeline of talent.
- Building employee capability and skills: to build the capability of individual employees to help businesses to bridge the skills gaps they are experiencing and also drive greater employee retention by improving the quality of training across the business.
Fáilte Ireland also chairs the Tourism and Hospitality Careers Oversight Group (COG), established in 2019, which is a collaborative approach by stakeholders, including Industry Bodies, Education Providers, Government Departments and State Agencies to addressing Skills Shortages.
Its membership includes the Departments of Tourism, Social Protection, and Further and Higher Education; the Higher Education Authority, SOLAS, Skillnet Ireland, and Quality and Qualifications Ireland; Education and Training Boards Ireland and the Technological Higher Education Association; as well as the Irish Hotels Federation, Irish Hospitality Institute, Restaurants Association of Ireland, Licensed Vintners Association, Vintners Federation of Ireland and Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions.
This Group will continue to work to support sustainable employment in the tourism and hospitality sectors, with an immediate focus on recruitment and retention initiatives, as well as focusing on the long-term repositioning of the sectors as attractive career choices.
My Department supports this Group's efforts in particular through the work of the Interdepartmental Group on Economic Migration, which is chaired by my Department, and in which the Department of Tourism participates. The Group works to ensure an employment permits system which is responsive to areas of identified skills or labour market needs in the short to medium term.
Most recently the work of the Group resulted in up to 350 work permits being granted for managerial positions in certain tourism and hospitality businesses, in recognition of an immediate need for management experience as the economy continues to emerge from the pandemic. This quota is subject to a framework requiring a third level qualification and five years' experience in the role. Applications for chef permits have also been prioritised. The Group will continue to monitor the demand for workers across the tourism and hospitality sectors throughout 2022.
More broadly, these efforts are taking place under the framework of the Government's Economic Recovery Plan, which has an overarching objective of having 2.5 million people at work by 2024, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Under the Plan there are a number of skills and labour supply measures that can be leveraged by tourism and hospitality employers.
The overarching employment goal will be realised through ongoing support for people in securing and remaining in sustainable and quality employment, in areas of identified skills needs for business. This will be achieved in particular through a combination of significant upskilling and reskilling opportunities, funded through the National Training Fund and therefore either free or heavily subsidised, as well increased labour market activation interventions, including employer grants for live register recruitment, through the Government’s Pathways to Work 2021-2025 strategy.
This jobs led recovery will ultimately be supported through creating the right environment for employment creation, through measures to boost the resilience, agility, competitiveness and innovation of businesses across the economy. This will also be supported through ensuring a balanced and inclusive recovery, through strategic investment in infrastructure and reforms that enhance our long-term capacity for growth, balanced regional development and by improving living standards.
These measures will work to support the broader recovery and viability of the tourism and hospitality sectors, which in turn will work to enhance their attractiveness as career options.
