Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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23. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department has developed a strategy to address the chronic shortage of staff affecting the tourism and hospitality sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47916/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Recruitment continues to be a significant challenge for the tourism sector, with up to two-thirds of businesses reporting reduced capacity due to staff shortages. My Department and Fáilte Ireland have been collaborating with industry and other Government Departments to ensure that there is a coordinated approach to addressing the labour and skills shortages.

Recently Fáilte Ireland has launched a new recruitment marketing and awareness campaign called #BeThePulse to help attract new staff to the tourism industry. Fáilte Ireland also provided an information webinar on the Department of Social Protection Pathways to Work strategy. The webinar was aimed at ensuring that tourism employers are fully aware of this potential recruitment channel, while also working with employers to make it easier and beneficial to recruit workers and to encourage recruitment of jobseekers. Fáilte Ireland’s Learning Hub also contains free high-quality self-directed learning courses to help upskill staff and build capability within business.

To increase appreciation of a career in tourism and hospitality, Fáilte Ireland continues to promote opportunities and communicate the benefits of working in the industry via their content and social media strategy on tourismcareers.ie. Fáilte Ireland also chairs the Tourism and Hospitality Careers Oversight Group which works closely with industry bodies, education providers and other Government bodies to support sustainable employment in the tourism sector with an immediate focus on recruitment and retention initiatives.

Officials from my Department are engaging with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to explore possible options for the Work Permits regime. Recent submissions from the industry to allow work permits for managerial positions in certain tourism and hospitality businesses are currently being assessed. Officials have also met with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science on the implementation of the Tourism Recovery Taskforce recommendations under “Enhancing Sustainable Employment”.

Fáilte Ireland is currently carrying out research, both from an employer and employee perspective, to gain further understanding of the challenges facing employers and why workers are leaving or not returning to the sector. This research will help when considering future actions required to address staffing and skill shortages for the sector.

Informed by the recommendations in the latest report from the Recovery Oversight Group, and in the context of Budget 2022, I am working with officials and Government colleagues to establish what further supports can be put in place for the tourism sector.