Hospitality staff shortages

Government admits lack of chefs a major problem for pubs and restaurants

The Department of Tourism today told a cross-party committee that the government wants to speed up the pace at which it processes work permits for non-EU chefs

Pub lobby groups will say the most badly needed staff are chefs, bar people and those in middle managment. Picture: Getty

One in three pub workers has left the hospitality sector as a result of the pandemic, industry groups told politicians at a meeting today.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism admitted at an Oireachtas committee hearing that the shortage of chefs is a particular issue for the industry, which has been warning for months of acute staffing shortages.

Members of the tourism committee heard from officials at the department that the government expects to shorten the ...