GastroNord focuses on the need for skilled employees in the restaurant industry

The restaurant industry’s most important issue – the supply of skilled labor – is in focus at the GastroNord trade fair, which will be held April 26-29, 2016 at Stockholmsmässan. The industry is planning a joint manifesto,and debates, discussions and themed days will be held during the fair.

The restaurant industry is booming. Interest is high and Swedish gastronomy is currently experiencing a lot of success. Unfortunately, the number of people who are trained to work in the hotel and restaurant industry is not progressing in line with dem­and. According to a report from Kairos Future, there is a considerable need for staffing in the industry, which has high employee turnover, and the prediction is that between 40,000 and 50,000 people ­will need to be recruited on an annual basis through 2023.

The greatest challenges the industry is facing right now are to attract good, qua­lified employees and encourage the younger generation to consciously make a decision to pursue a career in the industry rather than view their jobs as temporary before they move on to something more “serious”.

Together with Visita, which is an industry and employer organization supporting the Swedish hospitality industry, Gastronomy Sweden and other organizations, GastroNord is bringing this issue to the forefront and has invited politicians and industry leaders to the fair to foster a discussion. There are both easyquestions and difficult questions regarding status, terms and working conditions.

“Trained, competent employees in the hospitality industry are very much in demand. I hope that today’s youth will see the possibilities for a lifelong career ladder that the hospitality industry can now provide. The industry has become more professional in the past decade and now offers both highly qualified and entry-level positions,” says Eva Östling, CEO of Visita.

“I think it is an important time for the industry to come together and be inspired, and it is important that we talk about the best way for us to work together to help the industry develop,” says Frida Rönnlund, who works for Gastronomy Sweden and is a project manager for Svenska Bocuse d’Or Academy.

GastroNord and Vinordic are northern Europe’s largest trade fairs for hotels, restaurants, catering and fast food. The fairs are arranged every other year at Stockholmsmässan.

For more information, please contact:
Daniel Fritzdorf, Event Manager, daniel.fritzdorf@stockholmsmassan.se, + 46 70 789 41 96
Lotta Signeul, Press Officer, lotta.signeul@stockholmsmassan.se, + 46 70 789 43 36
www.gastronord.se, www.gastronomicweek.se, www.gastronomisverige.se