ONS Employment data - Sky News wants to speak to hospitality business or recruitment agency

I own a recruitment business that specialises in business support & HR. I’d be happy to speak and film at our premises on Liverpool Street (London). My number is 07770 949679 and email lily@lilyshippen.co.uk
Thanks

I am a hospitality business owner based in Dorking, Surrey. We opened in Aug 2021 and have never achieved full recruitment to date. Primarily chefs were hard to find, and lately, this has expanded to front-of-house too. This has resulted in reduced operating hours to around 30% of our full potential. We're surviving but could be thriving, and in the meantime, it's challenging to be the exciting, supportive, employer we want to be. Wages are increasing with some great employers and opportunities out there. Perception of the industry as a viable career option needs to become mainstream and wages need to adapt accordingly. Since Covid, these costs have been impossible to absorb and whether customers are aware of the ever-increasing menu prices as a result (and at what point those prices become unappetising) is yet to be discovered.

I'm the founder of flexible hospitality staffing app, limber. Our app matches empty hospitality shifts with flexible staff who want to work them and it helps employers tap into a new generation of talent that want to work more flexibly.

Average wages paid over our platform peaked at about £13.25 (incl. holiday pay) in May/June 2022. This was driven primarily by a staffing crisis, in which the power was in the hands of the employee. With staff retention low and vacancies still high, but a cost of living crisis and potential recession looming, the average wage has dropped by nearly £1ph.

We're happy to film tomorrow morning in Bristol, but I could travel to London if needed. You can reach me at chris@limber.work and on 07525813803