New worker rules will "hopefully plug some gaps"

Friday 06 December 2019

Changes being made to the island's immigration policy regarding workers from outside the EU will "hopefully help" Guernsey's hospitality industry.

Those are the words of the head of the Chamber of Commerce's hospitality subgroup, Alan Sillett from the Duke of Normandie Hotel.

The changes include the addition of a short-term work permit, up to a maximum period of nine months, which will be open to the majority of jobs in the industry, including waiting staff, bar staff and house keeping. Home Affairs have said it is hoping the changes will improve the recruitment and retention situation for hotels and restaurants.

Mr Sillett said he was hopeful the new rules would help, but also wasn't sure it would solve every problem the industry was facing.

"We have been trying to find a solution to our staffing crises for a while now, and this new policy will hopefully help. I don’t think it will totally solve all of our problems, but hopefully plug some of the gaps," he said.

"I do believe that somewhere within the States of Guernsey there should be a ‘recruitment action group’ set up with a remit to look at ways of attracting good people/workers to the Island. We already have Locate Guernsey working to attract high net individuals, but we also need the people to fill vacancies in many industries such as hospitality, retail, health, care, and even finance."

Pictured: Hotels have been struggling for staff in Guernsey. 

Hospitality as a whole has been facing staffing problems for months if not years now, however. Express has previously spoken to businesses which have been forced to close their doors because they simply could not staff a shift. Some of these businesses have since closed for good, and others have had to change the way they work.

Those working in the industry are also suffering because of staff shortages, as they are having to pick up the slack.

Mr Sillett concluded: "I was recently told that there are as many as 1,200 job vacancies on the island. That is not a good situation. It is difficult for the economy to grow if businesses are struggling to recruit. We need to work on how we can attract good personnel."

Pictured top: Alan Sillett with his wife, Aine. (image from Chamber of Commerce website)