Welsh hospitality vacancies show there is work available ‘if people are willing to do it’ says councillor
Gareth Williams, local democracy reporter
A councillor has said that vacancies in hospitality show that there is work available in north-west and west of Wales “as long as people are willing to do it”.
John Brynmor Hughes, the councillor for Llanengan, was responding to a Gwynedd council report that showed rising unemployment due to Covid-19 and Brexit.
But in a meeting of Gwynedd Council’s Audit Committee today, the pub owner said that jobs were out there in areas popular with tourists.
“There is work here in Pen Llyn but people don’t want to do it, hospitality is one of the biggest employers locally and is desperate for workers,” he said.
“I think people have got used to not working and plenty of time at home and have enjoyed themselves, leading to the problem now that the hospitality sector, especially here but also further afield such as Aberystwyth and Newquay, they are all looking for staff.
“The work isn’t the problem as long as people are willing to do it.”
Figures suggest more than one in 10 UK hospitality workers have left the industry in the last year, with factors said to include not only Covid-19 but also Brexit.
‘Low wages’
The authority’s Corporate Risk Register considers those likely to pose challenges to the council and the people of Gwynedd, based on its own matrix.
Found to be among the highest risks was that of unemployment rising sharply due to the lingering effects of Covid-19.
The report noted that mitigation measures available to the authority itself include working with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and the third sector to provide support to support local businesses and employers to employ young people for a period of six months and develop their work skills.
It was said that a taskforce will also consider if there are further steps Gwynedd Council and its partners can take to support businesses and employers to offer work and employment experiences.
On the need to secure better paying employment opportunities in Gwynedd, after noting that the people of Gwynedd were not benefitting to the extent that they should from tourism, the approved report stated: “Low wages continue to be a problem in Gwynedd, particularly in the Meirionydd area. An opportunity to respond by continuing to work together to create the right conditions to develop high value jobs within Gwynedd.
“We will have agreed a programme to create more higher value jobs in Gwynedd taking into account the impact of COVID and Brexit on employers.
“The programme will focus on promoting skills and careers in the Science, Technology, Electronics and Mathematics Area and on safeguarding and creating new jobs for the future at Trawsfynydd site, Llanbedr airfield site, within the medical, engineering, digital and creative industries sectors.”
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Hospitality vacancies show there is potentially low paid work for long hours and poor working conditions available if people are willing to do it.
TBH, hospitality needs to value the people it employs better than it typically has before. Then people will do it.
Also Brexit. A majority of people in Cymru shamefully voted to send foreigners “back where they came from”. Many went. Now this.
Actions have consequences
Worth pointing out John Brynmor Hughes is the pub landlord of the Sun Inn . the difficulties of recruiting locals into hospitality now in this covid era is obvious but whether people are willing to potentially expose themselves to the virus , even if the wages were equitable, the hours more flexible is a different matter After all who would work with asbestos knowing the risks
I’m looking but I can’t see where the political affiliation of John Brynmor Hughes is mentioned. Is that a special privilege only reserved for when NC is trying to whip up some outrage against Tories?
You tilt at that windmill boy!
This is Cymru. You don’t need to whip up outrage against Tories. We’ve had them interfering in our lives for decades despite never voting them a national majority in any election.
You brought then into this.
If you’re desperate for us all to know his affiliation. Google him and post here.
There you go, to save you time Cllr Hughes is an Independent. It took me about 30 seconds.
So fire away! All barrels. Rant away at those nasty Independents and all the damage they have done to Cymru by voting with their consciences instead of having a UKBIN party line to toe.
Touched a nerve, did they?
So just where are these lowly paid workers going to live Counc. Hughes? They can’t rent/buy homes in the area as the housing market has been decimated by the second homes and holiday lets. Equally they won’t be able to afford to travel long distances for these part-time posts that are not being filled. You reap what you sow!