40% surge in employment across hospitality and catering ahead of relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions

business leaders intend on taking on new staff members this year, predicting that their workforces will return to 79 percent of their pre-pandemic levels by July 2021 and to 90 percent by December.

This will come as no surprise to many in the industry whose bookings have gone through the roof since the government announced its roadmap last month - at almost double the levels of when restrictions were eased in the summer of 2020 - but with the caveat of having a tall mountain to climb. 

The study stressed that many businesses remain in urgent need of government support if the sector is to avoid more losses, which total 12,000 licensed premises since December 2019.