Report shows tourism industry still struggles to recruit chefs into sector

Progress made in recruitment overall but finding culinary staff a 'considerable difficulty'

More than half of Irish tourism hospitality businesses have reported “considerable difficulty” recruiting chefs as the sector continues to face employment challenges, new research has found.

More than half of Irish tourism hospitality businesses have reported “considerable difficulty” recruiting chefs in the past year, as the sector continues to face employment challenges, new research has found.

The Tourism Careers Research 2025 Update: Summary Report from Fáilte Ireland, based on responses from 569 businesses and 597 workers, found 52% of employers in the tourism sector said they had “considerable” difficulty getting chefs or culinary staff, with a further 34% reported “some difficulty” getting staff, and the remaining 14% saying they had little or no difficulty bringing them on board.