If you are looking for a career change, top of your priority list may well be finding a vacancy in a UK growth sector. Preferably one that offers good career prospects and challenges you can sink your teeth into.

Look no further than the food and drink sector.

Though there is much talk of the British being far more cautious and economically conscious in their buying decisions, the one exception is their eating out habits.

They are also apparently happy to splash the cash on increasingly varied food and drink to enjoy at home.

This sector is growing fast and already provides a whopping £54 billion to the UK economy.

It’s becoming an ever-more diverse business area too. Take a look around at how many Japanese-inspired restaurants and cafes are springing up, incorporating the oriental love of food as a theatrical experience.

Undoubtedly, new and growing businesses in this sector will be looking to build up a marketing team of those able to display a fresh and creative vision that sets them apart.

With such a strong customer base and a global marketplace for new ideas, you could be excused for thinking that the hospitality sector is all set for a delicious future.

But there is one thing that could hold back the gravy train; recruitment issues compounded by Brexit.

Hospitality has suffered from a poor image among the indigenous labour market for many years, not helped by zero hour contracts and often unsociable working hours. Hospitality is famously one of the biggest employers in the UK but also the worse example of staff churn.

With Britain’s exit from the EU looming, the hundreds of thousands of foreign workers employed in hotels, restaurants and takeaways will be forced to leave.

Which means the UK will still have high customer demand for hospitality, but businesses will be increasingly struggling to keep pace due to numerous staff vacancies.

This all means that anyone considering digital marketing jobs in the food and drink sector may find themselves with some fascinating challenges ahead.

The image of the sector needs to be lifted, and employers must find ways to support new interest in their career ladders.

The many and various businesses in hospitality also need to look for marketing staff that give them the edge in such a competitive and dynamic sector, during a period of instability and change.

For a “menu” of hospitality vacancies in digital marketing, marketing and design in the Gloucestershire region, keep in touch with Creative Mettle, a “well-fed” recruitment agency for marketing 🙂