The UK hospitality industry has seen the quickest increase in wages over the past 10 years. The average weekly earnings for full-time employees grew by 53% between 2012 and 2022.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals that the average weekly earnings for full-time workers in the hospitality sector, including accommodation and food services, increased from £328 per week in 2012 to £502 per week in 2022.

The average hospitality worker's wages rose four times faster than the average UK worker's wages which increased by 4.9%, from £696 in 2021 to £729 in 2022.

The rise in hospitality workers' wages in the last ten years has been mainly attributed to increases in the National Minimum Wage, which has gone up 53% from £6.19 per hour in 2012 to £9.50 per hour in 2022.

The wage inflation has also been driven by staff shortages, as restrictions due to Brexit have decreased the number of workers coming to the UK from the European Union.

Higher wages are good news for staff in the sector, but they are putting the industry's weak margins under even grater pressure.