UKHospitality (UKH) has welcomed the removal of a clause preventing pubs, restaurants and hotels employing non-EU chefs if they also provide a takeaway service.
The clause has been removed from the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendations on the shortage occupation list (SOL), something UKH had pushed for.
UKH has also urged the MAC to go further and abolish the unfair salary threshold on chefs.
The SOL permits non-EU staff to work in the UK in roles where there is a labour shortage. UKH has highlighted the UK’s chef shortage to the MAC. Chefs are ranked ‘fairly highly’ on the shortage list with an above average level of vacancies.
UKH continues to push for Government to adopt a coherent policy that delivers the future workforce needs of the sector.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Kate Nicholls said, “Removing the punitive takeaway clause is a positive step and one we called for in our response earlier this year. This reflects the increasingly diverse nature of the UK’s culinary sector and the move to more app-based deliveries. It also helps restaurants that have recently struggled to fill vacancies, particularly those offering authentic Indian, Bangladeshi and Chinese food, among others.
“However, the MAC needs to go further and abolish the salary threshold which limits our ability to deal with staffing shortages.
“Any future immigration policy needs to be fit for purpose, beneficial to the UK economy, and allow our sector to grow and thrive. We will be making these points to Ministers and future leadership candidates in the coming weeks and months.”