The Office of National Statistics (ONS) released a new survey on the impact of coronavirus on the UK hospitality with a focus on the most recent easing of restrictions in Spring 2021. This includes details on how the sector has performed and the future of employment.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has hit Hospitality hard and the impact has been uneven; bars and clubs have fared the worst, but campsites had a relatively better year than the rest of the sector.
Consumers spending on hospitality started to increase in May 2021 but remains at less than 70% of pre-pandemic levels; a similar picture is seen in turnover – in May this remained one-quarter lower than 2019 levels.
Business spending in the hospitality sector has seen smaller increases compared with consumer spending in May 2021; payments to suppliers from food and drink businesses have remained around half of pre-pandemic levels.
Business confidence in the survival of the hospitality sector started to increase in May 2021, but remains below the all-sector level.
The hospitality sector have seen large increases in job vacancies and are higher than pre-pandemic levels; however, in June 2021, the number of employees within the sector remained 11% below February 2020 levels.
See: Coronavirus and its impact on UK hospitality – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)