Hotel sector ‘largest employer in the tourism industry’

Hotels are the largest employers in the tourism job sector by far with 77% of all job vacancies in the last 12 months being hotel-based, according to an analysis by job search site Joblift.

Given their dominance in job vacancies, the most sought after professions in the sector reflect the most advertised positions in hotels.

Chefs are the most requested position accounting for 22% of all listings, followed by receptionists with 5%, with restaurant managers ranking in third place with 3%.

Joblift’s studies show that around 335,131 job vacancies in the tourism sector have been posted in the UK in the last 12 months. These jobs have seen an average monthly increase of 2% – a growth which is on par with the UK’s job market as a whole.

According to Joblift, jobs in the luxury tourism sector have made up 20% of all UK tourism vacancies in the last 12 months. This rapidly growing division of tourism (which includes five-star hotel and catering establishments) has seen an average monthly increase of 13% – almost seven times the growth of the tourism sector as a whole.

Luxury tourism vacancies are harder to fill however, as they tend to stay active online for 19 days, four days longer than the entire sector average.

London dominates vacancies with a 29% share of all tourism jobs posted. Manchester ranks in second place with 4% of all vacancies, and, with a 3% share, Birmingham comes in third.

On a wider basis, Northern Ireland has seen the highest average increase; the country has recorded an 11% average monthly growth, five times the rate of England.

Joblift has analysed the UK’s tourism job market and has seen that this increase in visitors and spending has relayed into a 2% growth in tourism jobs in Britain.

The drop in the pound’s value has meant that the United Kingdom has seen record numbers of tourists this year, with British Tourist Authority chairman Steve Ridgway commenting that the industry is now worth £127bn annually to the economy.