UK no training needed: accommodation and food
UK no training needed: accommodation and food stood at 59% in Jul 2026, according to ONS — Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS). It is one of the indicators in the Workforce pressures (BICS) table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jun 2021 to Jul 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Workforce pressures (BICS) table
| Indicator | 07-2026 | 04-2026 | 01-2026 | 10-2025 | 07-2025 | 04-2025 | 01-2025 | 10-2024 | 07-2024 | 04-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No skill needs extra training | |||||||||||
| Accommodation & food service | 59 | 71.6 | 63 | 59.4 | 60.6 | 56.3 | 64.6 | 60.8 | 57.7 | 58.5 | |
| Information & communication | 68.6 | 62.3 | 64.7 | 62 | 68.1 | 73.5 | 74 | 67.1 | 66.2 | 59.2 |
Understanding UK no training needed: accommodation and food
Hospitality venues, catering businesses, hotels, restaurants, and public houses across the United Kingdom measure the percentage of unfilled posts or recent hires where management indicates that applicants need zero prior vocational preparation. By filtering out roles that demand culinary certifications, barista training, or formal hospitality management qualifications, this indicator focuses squarely on baseline front-of-house and general assistance positions. The resulting data reflects the baseline absorbency of the entry-level labour market within consumer-facing service industries across the United Kingdom.
Seasonality heavily influences this metric due to tourism shifts, academic calendar breaks, and summer holiday demand surges that temporarily alter hiring practices. Analysts must handle early survey releases with caution, keeping in mind that subsequent data cleaning often refines initial responses collected from busy hospitality operators. When evaluating trends, year-on-year comparisons offer a more reliable signal than sequential fortnight-to-fortnight changes, which can be thrown off by sudden weather shifts or calendar effects around bank holidays.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series include skilled chef positions?
- No, positions requiring culinary qualifications or professional kitchen training are excluded from this specific category.
- Why do figures for this sector often show high volatility?
- Hospitality hiring relies heavily on student labour pools and tourist seasons, creating rapid shifts in the proportion of jobs needing no preparation.
- Should I compare consecutive survey waves directly?
- Short-term fortnightly comparisons can be noisy; comparing the same period twelve months prior provides a clearer view of structural labour shifts.