Despite the downturn in retail, the UK hospitality industry remains a significant and robust force in the UK economy. A 2013 report released by the British Hospitality Association (BHA) showed that with growth significantly outpacing the rest of the economy, the sector has generated over 25% of all new jobs created since 2010 (153,000 jobs). The type and nature of these jobs, especially chef jobs in Glasgow with high demand and lower volume, is always changing but whatever the future of the UK economy, the hospitality industry is in a strong starting position.
On-going growth in the sector brings with it inevitable challenge for hospitality employers, especially those looking at filling chef jobs, with continued skills shortages and poor talent pipelines. There are a number of schools producing excellent chef de partie, sous chef and general chefs but sometimes enrolment numbers are different to demand. During the tougher recession years, holding on to great talent may have been easier, but as the economy picks up and candidate movement ramps up, employers could be facing a major talent crisis.
Whilst industry skills shortages among hotel and catering staff can make life difficult for employers, they can position themselves to ensure that they recruit and retain the right staff for the right role – including growth prospects and trainees. The question for hospitality employers, especially those looking to fill vacant chef jobs, now is how to ensure the most relevant candidates gravitate towards them and then stay. There is no one simple solution, but a key component is to have a strong and meaningful employer brand, something which an increasing number of hospitality employers are successfully embracing.
The term ‘Employer Brand’ has been a familiar one for over a decade now. It is a term first used in the early 1990’s to mean a company’s reputation as an employer and their ability to attract the best applicants for anything from night porter jobs to chef jobs. A successful employer brand would communicate a business as a great place to work, creating a value which could be measured against other businesses relating to the working environment, values and beliefs of your business and employees. Managed well, an employer brand will attract and retain not only a large number of candidates but more crucially those that fit your business.
Some generations are more focused on employer brand than others, making recruitment for some jobs more difficult. Chef jobs are just as subject to the importance placed on employer brands. For example, Generation Y (those born in the 80’s and 90’s) are keen to know they work for a reputable company and place high value on a cultural fit within the business they work for. There are the older chefs and those making the progression to head chef jobs. Generation Y candidates are also characterised by their tendency to move jobs regularly if they don’t feel comfortable. Hospitality employers with a strong employer brand are likely to be more successful at recruiting Generation Y than those who have yet to focus on developing one.
For an industry that struggles to attract, recruit and retain sufficient staff against demand, particularly at a Generation Y level and especially for chef jobs, a well thought out employer brand should be seen as essential for any hospitality employer. Fortunately, it seems that this is now a widely recognised fact and one that many companies are working on.
If you are looking for work as a chef outside London, take a look at the Caterer.com chef jobs in Glasgow section. There you will find hundreds of vacancies and be able to easily find work in your area.
