Wages and vacancies on the rise in hospitality

Average weekly earnings for workers in the accommodation and food service industry rose to £244 in the month to October, up from £240 in September and up from £231 in October 2014.

Vacancies in the industry saw a 12.9% rise year-on-year in the July to September quarter – up to 85 – and also rose 5.7% on the previous quarter.

Across all industries there were 747 vacancies, up 0.3% on the previous quarter and up 6.3% year-on-year.

Jobs in the accommodation and food service industry rose to 2253 in the September quarter – up from 2228 in the previous quarter – and up from 2171 at the same time last year.

Accommodation and food service workers are also working more hours, the data showed.

In the July to September 2015 quarter, workers in the industry worked 28.8 hours per week on average, up slightly from 28.6 hours in the previous quarter and up 2.5% year-on-year from 28.1 hours in the comparable quarter in 2014.

The data also showed that men in the industry worked longer weeks on average, working 33.4 hours (up 1.2% year-on-year), compared to women, who worked 24.7 hours a week (up 3.7% year-on-year).

Across all industries, the average week worked was 31.9 hours (down 0.6% year-on-year), despite the total number of hours worked rising 0.7% to 995.2 million hours in the quarter.

Across all industries in the UK labour market there were 31.30 million people in work in the period from August to October 2015, 207,000 more than for May to July 2015 and 505,000 more than at the same time in 2014.

The employment rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were in work) was 73.9%, the highest since comparable records began in 1971.

Employment Minister Priti Patel said the year was ending on a high, with a record rate of employment, and wages continuing to grow.

“Today’s figures show half-a-million more people in work compared to this time last year, which means hundreds of thousands of families are going into the festive season with the security and hope for the future that work brings.

“Next year we will build on this positive story with the introduction of the National Living Wage and the new offer of 30 hours free childcare for working families.

“In this way we are delivering the high-wage, low-welfare society with opportunity and security at its heart that we know the British people want.”