Immigration Cap Could Stall Growth for Restaurants

If the Conservatives win the election on 8^th June and get the chance to implement their manifesto, the UK might see their plans to reduce immigration ‘to the tens of thousands’ come to fruition. According to the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), this could have series implications for the restaurant industry.

The trade body whose members include Wagamamma, Casual Dining Group and Wahacca has said that the industry is heavily reliant on overseas workers to drive expansion.

At Restaurant Property, many of our top international investors in ultra-prime and prime London hospitality property require migrant team members to enable their concepts to be profitable. Therefore, we appreciate that there would be challenging ramifications for those in the service industry if these plans came to fruition.

Alongside this policy, the Conservatives have also announced that are planning to double the charge on employing non-EU staff if they win at the GE. If the policy is implemented, it could have an impact on the UK’s curry houses. According to Yawar Khan, chairman of the Asian Catering Federation – which represents 20,000 restaurant and takeaway owners – this plan is ‘hugely disappointing’.

Curry houses cannot afford to employ skilled curry chefs from outside the EU unless they earn over £30,000. Therefore, increasing potential overheads will make it more challenging to pay talented chefs what they are legally required to pay.

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