The average salary of Irish hospitality staff from top chefs to porters

THE average salary of hospitality workers in Ireland has been revealed as employers continue to grapple with a crippling staff shortage.

Salaries vary from €95,000 plus bonus for a Regional Manager to €28,000 per year for waiters in Irish hotels.

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But Irish recruitment firm Excel Recruitment, which has published the average salary guide for 2023, warned companies are under “intense pressure” to attract and retain employees.

An investigation by the Irish Sun last year found nearly 130,000 jobs were unfilled in construction, hospitality, tourism and retail.

And the problem persists, with the vast majority of applications coming from eager non-EU jobseekers who have “no hope” of a visa.

Shane McLave, Managing Director of Excel Recruitment, said: “Long before Covid-19 paralyzed its sector, the hotel and catering industry was struggling to attract chefs and industry professionals.

“This was mainly due to the low salaries and the physical exertion that many roles require.”

Amid ongoing struggles, McLave added that the Covid pandemic has prompted a “mass exodus” of employees into new careers and crippled a “forever changed” hospitality industry.

He said: “While uncertainty about the future of the industry may have played a role, in reality the working conditions and salaries already in place were a big factor leading to a steady decline in the number of chefs entering the sector.

“As a result, salary rates have risen from entry-level commis chefs all the way up to chef de partie to try to attract and retain talent.

“Overall, the personnel situation in the hospitality industry is very desolate and there is no end in sight for the industry in the short to medium term.”

In order to attract employees back into the sector, some Excel Recruitment clients have even tried a four-day work week to apply for potential employees.

Average chef salaries now show that an executive chef could make €75,000, a head chef €65,000 and a sous chef €47,000.

Jnr Sous Chef can earn around €40,000, Breakfast Chefs €34,000, Chef de Parties €38,000 and Pastry Chefs and Pastry Chefs €40,000 and €48,000 respectively.

For industrial, retail and corporate catering salaries, regional managers earn €95,000 plus bonus, industrial catering area managers €75,000 plus bonus, while area managers could earn €50,000 and area managers €35,000.

Executive Chef or Culinary Directors receive EUR 85,000, Chief Manager EUR 45,000.

Kitchen porters, catering assistants and waiters or baristas all earn €12.50 an hour, the research found.

VISA OVERHAUL

The Excel research also revealed that some clients typically receive 200 applications for one job posting.

However, one customer found that 189 of these were from people outside the EU.

Since the end of Covid restrictions, over 35,000 students have arrived in the country on the Stamp Two visa, which allows non-EEA students to study in Ireland.

Their visa allows them to work, but prevents them from working more than twenty hours a week.

This in turn puts additional strain on both the hospitality industry and the pockets of non-EEA students.

Director McClave believes changes to the Stamp 2 visa program are needed to allow for longer hours.

In addition, he has urged employers to take care of current employees before looking for work elsewhere.

He said: “Covid may be a thing of the past, but one thing that has stuck with a lot of candidates is the importance of work-life balance and the importance of feeling valued and valued.”