Cumbria Hospitality & Tourism reopens with staff shortage issue

Published on : Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Even though the recruitment challenge of Cumbria is not something new, now the problem has heightened due to several factors including:

Changes in post-Brexit immigration policy – removing many overseas workers’ rights to work in the UK.
Staff moving on during the pandemic.
The present restrictions related to travel preventing those who can work lawfully in the country being able to return.
Many businesses hiring at the same time.

Research from the county’s official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) pinpoints the fact that in April, almost 34% of businesses were quite worried about staff recruitment. This issue in April has escalated sharply across all businesses all through Cumbria. Many were compelled to turn to agency staff along with financial burden it brings, at a time when they cannot manage it.

As Cumbria Tourism, the county’s official Destination Management Organisation, has long been at the front position of this issue, assisting several businesses through the Brexit transition period, dynamically campaigning for the workers of hospitality sector to be afforded the same recognition as the laborers of agriculture, whose designation as skilled removes multiple barriers from the new ‘Australian-style’ points-based system.

As 2020 has been aimed on the pandemic’s impact, it was quite conspicuous that this issue would definitely return. Of late, the DMO presented to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration on anticipated impacts happening from the new immigration rules introduced. The outcome of the event, chaired by Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, was to take on an inquiry into the consequences of the new rules on a wide range of organizations, employees, and the wider economy and communities.

This lobbying activity carries on with recruitment not only for Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston MP’s visit, but also for the upcoming English Tourism Week, where all MPs of Cumbria have been invited to meet and speak with industry representatives.