'Chefs are particularly hard to find': Hospitality feels heat due to staffing crisis

There are up to 40,000 vacancies in the tourism sector as a result of the Covid pandemic restrictions, research by Fáilte Ireland shows

Operations manager at Durty Nellie’s in Bunratty, Co Clare, Maurice Walsh, said positions such as chefs, managers and supervisors are particularly difficult to recruit at present. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Restaurant and hotel owners across Munster say the recruitment of chefs and other hospitality staff is now taking several months, with many forced to recruit staff from abroad as the tourism season kicks off.

Owner of O’Connor’s Seafood restaurant in Bantry, Co Cork, Shane Spillane, said prior to the Covid pandemic, he would have received up to 100 applications for a post.