300,000 new jobs will be created in hospitality by 2020.

Hospitality Industry Tackles Youth Unemployment

The British Hospitality Association has announced the creation of 6,000 new jobs for 16-24 year-olds by the end of the year, as part of a wider industry expansion.

The aim is to fill 300,000 jobs in the hospitality sector by 2020 to reflect rapid growth and market demand. 60,000 of these new jobs will be earmarked for 16-24 year olds, as the industry provides a gateway to tackle long-term youth unemployment.

It is estimated that across the UK there are some 900,000 young people not in education, employment or training. While many young people are still out of work, there are thousands of job vacancies in the hospitality industry and it’s this disconnect between jobs on offer and what young people will consider as career options which is causing particular concern for industry experts.

Speaking at the recent Big Hospitality Conversation, Ufi Ibrahim, CEO of the British Hospitality Association said: “Hospitality is a successful industry with even greater growth prospects offering a vast range of job opportunities for all job seekers of any age. However, there are still widespread misconceptions amongst many outside the industry who don’t see the value in hospitality careers. We urge young people to look beyond outdated viewpoints and join our industry.”