The dispersal of hospitality jobs across the country is extremely unequal, despite the fact the sector employs 2.1 million people in a broad range of occupations.
That's one of the findings to come out of the recent Hospitality Employment Index from Caterer.com.
The recruitment website said there was a clear discrepancy in employment between regions, with businesses in the South East of England advertising four times as many jobs as those in the North West in the last quarter.
The North West was shown to be twice as competitive for job seekers, with a ratio of 22 applicants per job post, compared with only 12 applicants per job post in the South East.
This makes the North West the most competitive area for hospitality professionals outside of the densely populated capital, where the ratio of applicants per job reached 27:1. Closely behind is the North East, where the average number of applicants per job post was 19:1.
The future looks bright for hospitality job seekers in the South, with the South East and London the most active areas for new jobs compared with this time last year. In fact, the Hospitality Employment Index showed the number of job ads in these two regions far exceeded the total throughout the rest of the UK. What's more, these regions are set to experience a significant rise in the number of people being employed in the hospitality industry in the coming months as the Olympic Games approach. The increase in workforce demand is predicted to be 12% in the South East compared with 3.9% in the North West.
Yet despite the South claiming the overall prize for the highest level of work available, hospitality professionals in other pockets of the UK also have good reason to feel positive. Northern Ireland received a boost of over 30% in job ads compared with last quarter and postings in the North East and Wales rose by over 25%. Scotland, which is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014, also saw a 20% rise in job adverts.
Summer Isles hotel named Best Employer in Hospitality in Scotland >>
By Neil Gerrard
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