For the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has created more competition for individuals who now have more career options driven by technology and remote working. The necessity for individuals to join the hospitality industry and become skilled professionals is pivotal not only for the restaurant industry, but also in hotels, hospitals, universities, conference centers, and corporate cafeterias.
The food service and hospitality industry play a significant role as an economic driver. However, without qualified professionals, the industry has slowed down the overall post-pandemic economic recovery. The concerns of meeting national labor shortages go well beyond food service. According to the National Association of Business Economics (NABE), 47% of businesses report a shortage of skilled workers. In June 2021, job openings in the U.S. hit a record of more than ten million. Food service companies have been seeing that potential employees are facing new family responsibilities, fear of infection, and increased interest in career changes.
To meet the seismic staffing shortage in New England and across the United States, we will need collaboration of public and private partnerships that are committed to building a pipeline of professionals. These public-private partnerships must include government and non-profit organizations that would act as vehicles of promotion for professionals.
For the last twenty years, we at Snapchef have always taken immense pride in fostering inspiration and innovation across the food service and hospitality industry. Our team of Snapchefs has been highly resilient to turnover and we’re actively recruiting to meet the increasing demand of our clients facing staffing shortages. To build the next generation of foodservice professionals, we offer free training for new Snapchefs and our senior chefs provide them with mentorship to sustain a career path in the industry. We are here to mentor, collaborate, and employ the food service and hospitality industry on all fronts. We are here to support them.
