Job market information
Finding out about restaurants
The restaurants industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The hospitality, travel and tourism sector incorporates the following industries: contract food service providers, events, gambling, holiday parks, hospitality services, hostels, hotels, membership clubs, pubs, bars and nightclubs, restaurants, self-catering accommodation, tourist services, and visitor attractions. The sector accounts for a workforce of 2.1 million, most of which are based within the restaurants, hospitality services, and pubs, bars and nightclubs industries. The roles within the sector are extremely diverse and include managers, technical staff, front-of-house staff, back-of-house staff, and non-core staff.
The restaurant industry provides food and drink and includes:
- Fast food establishments – such as McDonalds, Burger King and KFC, as well as traditional outlets such as fish and chips shops, sushi bars and sandwich bars
- Cafes and coffee shops
- Mainstream Restaurants – these are high street restaurants which tend to be mid‐price and include many branded and themed chains such as Pizza Express, Garfunkel’s and Ask
- Fine Dining – these tend to be more expensive restaurants that offer unique dishes and, sometimes, more experimental cuisine.
Key facts:
- There are 614,100 people working in the restaurant industry.
- 14% of the workforce has an NVQ Level 4 or above qualification.
- The majority of the workforce has a NVQ Level 2 qualification (28%).
- 13% of the workforce has no qualifications.
- 53% of the workforce is employed full‐time.
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
Jobs in the industry range from: kitchen assistants, bar manager, general manager, chef, cleaner, conference and banqueting manager, waiter/waitress, food and beverage manager, kitchen porter, restaurant manager, wine waiter.
Entry and progression
For most entry level jobs, there are no specific academic requirements, but a willingness to work hard, a good attitude, good communication and team working skills can be an advantage. For public facing roles, employers may prefer candidates who have previous experience of working in a customer service environment and show good people skills, as well as an appreciation of the importance of customer service.
There are opportunities for progression in the industry for those willing to take on more responsibility. Previous managerial experience can be an advantage. It is fairly common for people to move between certain areas of work in the industry.
There is a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and training schemes available. Some qualifications are only available to those over 18 years old, such as: Advanced Certificate in Licensed Hospitality; Award for Personal Licence Holders (QCF); Diploma in Licensed Hospitality; and NVQ in Hospitality Supervision.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
614,100 |
| Number of UK employers: |
72,500 |
| Gender: |
53% male |
47% female |
| Ethnicity: |
73% of the workforce is white and 27% is from black and ethnic minority groups |
| Age: |
21% of the workforce is aged 16‐19 years |
|---|
| 34% is 20‐29 years |
| 20% is 30‐39 years |
| 14% is 40‐49 years |
| 11% is 50 years and older |
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
Employment trends and future prospects
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
The following table shows the numbers working across the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector and forecasted numbers for 2017. There will also be high demand for new workers to replace those people who have either changed jobs or left the industry altogether.
| 2007 |
2012 |
2017 |
2007‐2017 |
|---|
Managers and senior officials
Including:
Hotel and accommodation managers
Restaurant and catering managers
Publicans and managers of licensed premises |
590,900 |
617,900 |
659,500 |
+12% |
Skilled trade occupations
Including:
Chefs/cooks |
213,700 |
209,300 |
193,800 |
‐9% |
Elementary occupations
Including:
Kitchen and catering assistants
Waiting staff
Bar staff |
768,900 |
821,800 |
853,600 |
+11% |
[N.B. Data from Warwick Institute for Employment Research, Working Futures, 2007‐2017.]
Skill requirements and shortages
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
The five most common skill requirements are: technical, practical or job‐specific skills; customer handling skills; team working skills; oral communication skills; and problem solving skills.
Occupational trends
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
There are a number of ‘core’ occupations commonly found in hospitality, leisure, and the travel and tourism sector. The following table lists the numbers working in these occupations across the whole sector.
| Hotel and accommodation managers |
57,700 |
|---|
| Conference and exhibition managers |
23,700 |
|---|
| Restaurant and catering managers |
148,200 |
|---|
| Publicans and managers of licensed premises |
46,900 |
|---|
| Chefs and cooks |
255,100 |
|---|
| Kitchen and catering assistants |
394,600 |
|---|
| Waiting staff |
222,200 |
|---|
| Bar staff |
197,800 |
|---|
| Leisure and theme park attendants |
21,100 |
|---|
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
National and regional data
East Midlands – There are approximately 45,200 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 45% work full‐time
- 53% of the workforce is female
- 70% of the workforce is white
- 28% of the workforce is 16‐19 years
- 31% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
East of England – There are approximately 47,300 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 50% work full‐time
- 53% of the workforce is female
- 81% of the workforce is white
- The majority of the workforce is aged 16‐24 years (44%)
- 31% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
London – There are approximately 92,900 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 64% work full‐time
- 69% of the workforce is female
- 39% of the workforce is white
- 20% of the workforce is 20‐24 years
- 30% of the workforce has an NVQ level 1 and entry level qualification
North East – There are approximately 25,300 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 46% work full‐time
- 55% of the workforce is female
- 80% of the workforce is white
- The majority of the workforce is aged between 16‐24 years (48%)
- 26% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
North West – There are approximately 65,500 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 53% work full‐time
- 46% of the workforce is female
- 79% of the workforce is white
- The majority of the workforce is aged between 16‐24 years (47%)
- 28% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
South East – There are approximately 76,500 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 61% work full‐time
- 45% of the workforce is female
- 73% of the workforce is white
- 21% of the workforce is 16‐19 years
- 26% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
South West – There are approximately 53,000 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 47% work full‐time
- 56% of the workforce is female
- 93% of the workforce is white
- 36% of the workforce is 16‐19 years
- 35% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
West Midlands – There are approximately 48,300 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 49% work full‐time
- 42% of the workforce is female
- 64% of the workforce is white
- 22% of the workforce is 20‐24 years
- 31% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are approximately 51,000 people working in the restaurant industry in this region, of which:
- 43% work full‐time
- 52% of the workforce is female
- 79% of the workforce is white
- 26% of the workforce is 16‐19 years
- 31% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
Northern Ireland – There are approximately 43,900 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Northern Ireland, of which 20,800 work in the restaurant industry in 2,000 establishments. Details as follows:
- 55% work full‐time
- 57% of the workforce is female
- 88% of the workforce is white
- 34% of the workforce is 20‐29 years
- 26% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
Scotland – There are approximately 183,500 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Scotland, of which 59,600 work in the restaurant industry in 6,200 establishments. Details as follows:
- 51% work full‐time
- 54% of the workforce is female
- 88% of the workforce is white
- 24% of the workforce is 24‐29 years
- 27% of the workforce has an NVQ level 3 qualification
Wales – There are approximately 86,100 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Wales, of which 28,800 work in the restaurant industry in 3,300 establishments. Details as follows:
- 49% work full‐time
- 60% of the workforce is female
- 88% of the workforce is white
- 22% of the workforce is 16‐19 years
- 29% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
Salary levels
Pay scales in this industry are variable, so the following only provides an indication of the average annual pay of the current workforce:
- Bar Person £11,000 ‐ £20,000, Assistant Bar Manager £16,000 ‐ £21,000, Bar Manager £20,000 ‐ £35,000
- Assistant General Manager/Deputy Manager £21,000 ‐ £35,000
- Restaurant Manager £16,000 ‐ £30,000
- Assistant General Manager/Deputy Manager £21,000 ‐ £35,000
- Junior/Commis Chef £10,000 ‐ £16,000, Chef £15,000 ‐ £20,000, Head Chef £20,000 ‐ £45,000
- Junior Waiter £11,000 ‐ £14,000, Waiter £12,000 ‐ £16,000, Head Waiter £14,000 ‐ £25,000
- Wine waiter £12,000 ‐ £35,000
- Kitchen porter £11,000 or more
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using People 1st AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
