Hospitality sector ‘hit by negative perception’

Many young people are losing out on careers in the hospitality industry because they have a negative perception of the sector, a well-known Cork hotelier said yesterday.

Michael Magner, who employs around 80 people in the Vienna Woods Hotel, said schools are not doing enough to make people aware of opportunities in the industry and claimed there is a training deficit for those who are interested.

In some instances, about 75% of applicants for jobs were non-Irish and many of them were ‘’really good’’, but some Irish people were emigrating because they didn’t see hospitality as a viable option, he said.