‘Brexit or Covid – what’s worse?’: UK coastal cities in the perfect employment storm | hospitality industry

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For Linton, a small village perched on a picturesque hill overlooking the North Devon coast, this year’s summer tourism season has been exceptional. Vacationers from all over the UK descended in huge numbers, arriving by buses and cars on foot.

The sights are perhaps unsurprising, given the number of families who decided against international travel this year when faced with costs and uncertainty from Covid rules. In July, Resolutions Research estimated that £30.5 billion and 300,000 additional jobs would be pumped into Britain’s travel and hospitality sectors if tourists across Europe turned foreign holidays into domestic ones – with Devon one of the biggest recipients of the shift. .

The experience of Ronnie Mouton, who runs a Middle Eastern bistro and café in Linton with his wife Daria, matched that prediction. He says it was the busiest season in his 15 years of running the business. “Every day this summer, we’ve had to turn people away – unfortunately, some of them come back annually.”

But there was a problem – finding the staff to meet this growing demand. The shortage of available labor has meant that their 40-seat restaurant is now operating at half capacity. “European workers with permission to work in the UK are not coming because of the long paperwork after Brexit. They are also monitoring how the Covid situation is developing in England.

These days, friends of the couple often joke about being “visibly nervous” by having to do everything themselves. However, they consider themselves lucky after Mautone finally manages to hire a chef from Romania with a previously settled status, using an agency.

He paid for the required PCR test on the second day of the quarantine, but it took 72 hours for the result to finally arrive. “I don’t even know what to blame: Brexit or Covid – which is worse?” Mattton adds.

Ronnie Mughton and his wife, Daria, say it was the busiest summer in their 15 years of running the company.

There are about 200,000 vacancies in the sector, with a vacancy rate of around 10%, according to trade association UKH Hospitality. After taking months off leave last year, many of these workers have moved on to other industries that have remained open and busy.

“This is just further evidence of how hospitality has been uniquely affected by the pandemic as well as Brexit,” the association said. “There is an urgent need for the government to continue its support for the sector.”

The problem is not specific to Britain, as France and other European countries face similar issues. But analysts say the COVID-related labor shortage is exacerbated in the UK by Brexit.

Down the hill from Lynton, the seaside village of Lynmouth also experiences bountiful summers. Queues line up for ice cream each afternoon and fish and chips each evening, while visitors often struggle to find a table for dinner without booking in advance.

Jessica Floyd, 26, was born and raised in Devon and this summer worked three days a week at the Ancient Mariner’s Bar, run by the Bath Hotel, one of the city’s largest hotels. Next week, you’ll be moving into full-time work “because they’re really struggling to get people to help.”

She adds: “Because of the labor shortage, they pay me good wages. At the same time, I am concerned about Covid. I only have one dose of the vaccine.”

Jessica Floyd has been working part time at Lynmouth Pub this summer and is now working full time.

Its general manager, Samantha Chalkley, is grateful for the help. Brexit has made it difficult to find enough EU workers to work in the kitchen, and it is offering Christmas bonuses to try to persuade people to stay longer. These days, new recruits demand 30% or more of current wages. Without massive price increases, she said, this is simply unsustainable.

However, it’s not just about wages, Chalkley said. It’s an absolutely toxic combination – Brexit and Covid plus health. Some of our people have been stressed by the NHS Covid app and had to self-isolate. I also have staff who contact patients, including some with mental health issues.” She adds, “It kind of gets to the top of the top. I don’t even know what will throw us next week. I can’t plan for the future anymore.”

With the scramble for temporary workers to help, another problem arose: Where to house them?

“Our small town is overwhelmed. Some homeowners are now understandably reluctant to share their homes with strangers, due to Covid concerns. Others are seeing accommodations thriving and putting their rooms on Airbnb,” adding that her hotelier recently had to buy a home nearby, so they could afford accommodations. For additional employees from out of town.

In both Lynton and Lynmouth, companies of all sizes share the same complaint about hiring. One of the largest hotels in Lynton was said to have bussed workers from Liverpool to help clean and run the hotel.

“It’s not surprising,” says Dan James, director of rural projects for the Exmoor National Park Authority. “Two-thirds of our employment in this field comes from tourism, and more than that in Linton and Lynmouth. There are not enough young people of working age in this city to begin with, so you have a shortage of foreign labor as a result of Brexit. On top of that, there is Covid. It really is a perfect storm.”

Sarah and her husband Ian moved to Lynton to manage a bed and breakfast and two vacation apartments 11 years ago. Photography: Vincent Ni

Sarah Downing, 64, has mixed feelings about the situation. She runs a crib and breakfast in Linton with her husband, Ian, 68. “Last year, we were worried about when business would return, but this year we are struggling to deal with the influx of orders,” she says.

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After leaving Cambridge 11 years ago, the couple moved to Lynton to run a small B&B and two holiday apartments. “If you are an investor in a company, of course you will be happy about the residence boom,” says Ian. “But if you are the one running it, it is stressful. We also have to be extra careful with the virus.”

The couple said that after a nearly year-long hiatus, their business began taking bookings non-stop as of last February, and they’ve spent little time with their children and grandchildren since then. But the long hiatus during the lockdown has made them rethink their life balance, so as of this fall they will be closing bed and breakfasts permanently and only running two apartments for rent.

Sarah adds: “Family and health are the most important things in life. We are happy that our business thrives, but it is time that we no longer dominate it.”

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