Hospitality purchasing organisation Beacon has revealed survey results indicating that hospitality businesses are suffering from skills shortages.

The survey – which questioned more than 2,000 hotels, bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs and other leisure operators – found that almost four in five businesses (78 per cent) experienced difficulties filling vacant positions.

The accommodation sector appeared to be hardest hit, with 82 per cent of hotel operators reporting problems, compared with 76 per cent of bars, restaurants and clubs and 74 per cent of other leisure operators such as golf clubs and leisure centres.

In addition, more than one third of hospitality businesses found that their workforce lacked appropriate skills, particularly in customer service.

However, the survey indicated that the industry is not committed to investing in training in order to tackle the skills deficit, with only 58 per cent reporting a structured staff training schemes. Scotland topped the league with 69 per cent running training courses compared with 59 and 52 per cent in Wales and England, respectively.

The survey also raised concerns over retention, with around 600,000 people leaving jobs in the sector per annum, resulting in recruitment and retraining costs of £900m.

John Vinuesa, director of Beacon, said: “The hospitality sector is experiencing problems in recruiting staff and maintaining necessary skills levels owing to a myriad of factors, including retention.

“The fact that so many businesses are committed to formal training programmes is a positive sign but the industry needs to do more to promote the sector to ensure businesses attract and retain high-quality recruits.”