Hospitality businesses in the State’s tourist towns need thousands of staff as firms start to reopen – particularly in Dublin – according to the industry.
Jobs are available everywhere in major tourists spots outside of Dublin, said incoming president of the Irish Hospitality Institute, Brian Bowler, on the back of a surge in staycation bookings for July and August.
However the picture in Dublin is more difficult, he said. He predicted that a surge in bookings for hotels and guesthouses may not be felt in the capital until later in the year when travel restrictions are finally lifted.
Ireland has now lost an estimated 150,000 hospitality jobs as the Level 5 pandemic control restrictions cost the €9bn industry heavily in the latest lockdown with events such as St. Patrick’s Day and Easter being effectively wiped out.
In desperation, thousands of hospitality workers have sought employment in other sectors – with no guarantee they will transfer back once the Covid-19 restrictions are eased due to ongoing fears over job security and the precarious nature of the hospitality sector in the throes of the worldwide pandemic. .
“Hospitality training in Ireland is regarded as world class”, said Mr Bowler who is general manager of the Montenotte Hotel in Cork. He added that the training in this sector is underpinned by our worldwide reputation for “Irish warmth and empathy”.
