Fine Gael Senator for Limerick City, Maria Byrne, has welcomed the decision by the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, to change Employment Permit Regulations to alleviate pressure on Hospitality Sector.
The changes to the Employment Permit Regulations will make it easier for businesses in the hospitality sector to source workers from outside the EEA.
Senator Byrne raised the issue with Minister Humphrey’s after being contacted by many restaurant owners in Limerick who were finding it difficult to recruit qualified chefs.
Senator Byrne said: “Certain chef grades have been removed from the ineligible occupation list. This means that if an employer is unsuccessful in filling a vacancy either domestically or from across the European Economic Area (EEA) it can be filled by a suitably qualified non- EEA national. “Minister Humphrey’s decision to remove certain chef grades from the ineligible lists will ensure that there is a mechanism to address the shortage of qualified chefs in the short-term.
“There is a quota to ensure that in the longer term the demand for chefs is met from a steady supply in the Irish labour market and that work that is underway to increase the supply of chefs through training initiatives such as the development of a new Commis Chef Apprenticeship and a Chef de Partie Apprenticeship.”
Senator Byrne continued; “There has been a critical shortage in this sector over the past number of years
“The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs indicated that up to 5,000 chefs are needed annually between 2017 and 2020 to keep up to pace with demand.
“But currently only about 1,800 people qualify each year from certified culinary training programmes.
“Across the wider hospitality sector, there are gaps in basic skills and experience at entry and junior level and at management level. There is also a need for tourism entrepreneurs and product development.”
She continued: “The shortage also represents an issue for the wider economy. In European terms, we are almost twice as dependent on the hospitality sector for jobs as other countries.
“It employs some 158,000 people, or 8 per cent of employment across the economy.
Senator Byrne concluded by saying; I am confident the changes to Employment Permits Regulations along with the suite of culinary apprenticeships will have a positive impact for the industry.”
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