Hospitality bears half of UK job losses since Autumn Budget

The hospitality sector remains the hardest hit among UK industries, representing about half of all job losses since the Autumn Budget. New analysis of national statistics shows roughly 89,000 hospitality jobs have disappeared of the 164,641 positions cut nationwide since October, a share that underscores ongoing pressures from higher employer taxes, wage costs and broader cost of living pressures. Industry leaders warn that the pace of losses could intensify ahead of the next budget unless policy relief is delivered to curb business costs and support investment.

UKHospitality's review of official jobs data attributes the disproportionate hit to several Budget measures that raised the cost of employing people in bars, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The sector’s losses amount to 53% of the total, according to the association, which argues the combination of higher National Insurance contributions, a higher minimum wage and a lower threshold for NICs has raised labor costs at a time when energy bills and input costs remain elevated. The group says the impact is three times larger than the forecast issued by the Office for Budget Responsibility, which had projected around 50,000 job...