Hospitality crisis pushes up wages by 14 per cent as businesses rely on temporary workers

A shortage in the restaurant sector has pushed up the average wages of pub and restaurant staff by up to 14 percent, new research has discovered.

This has developed from new data from Indeed Flex, the online marketplace for flexible employees.

Analysis of shifts worked at pubs, bars and restaurants, published on the platform, suggests that temporary workers planning to work the weekend might have the biggest gain to enjoy from rapidly rising wages.

Compared to when we had it in 2019.

Meanwhile, working day pay across the UK has grown by an average of 5 per cent, much higher than the 1.8 per cent increase in the minimum wage between 2019 and 2021.

Jack Beaman, chief executive and co-founder of the Smarter Flex, said: "We've also seen an influx of people opting for temporary work as a post-lockdown lifestyle choice – as it gives them a variety and a work-life balance that a permanent job cannot.

As the loosening of restrictions initially lifted, the hospitality and hospitality sector reported the largest job vacancy increase in the sector at 265.5%, the official ONS employment data shows.

Boris Johnson last week indicated that Freedom Day in England will be postponed until at least July 19, as the delta variant first discovered in India is spreading across the country.