The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Hospitality and Tourism is launching an inquiry into ‘recruitment and retention of staff in hospitality’.

The review will explore the reasons behind high vacancy rates in the sector and make a series of recommendations to government.

According to the APPG, the industry has more than 100,000 vacancies and shortages have remained a persistent issue for businesses for several years.

It comes as one in five UK adults consider hospitality an appealing industry to work in. The APPG will explore what the sector and government can do to change the perceptions of the sector and make it more appealing.

Simon Jupp MP, chair of the hospitality and tourism APPG, said, “Staffing challenges in hospitality and tourism has continually been raised by businesses as a persistent problem that negatively impacts trading. Given how important the people who work in hospitality and tourism are to the experiences they help deliver, it’s important that the APPG takes the time to investigate this issue.”

The APPG is also looking into retention and if the industry has a retention problem.

The inquiry is also set to explore domestic recruitment, staff wellbeing and zero-hours contracts.