Labour is the number one operational problem in Singapore’s F&B industry. The shortage of manpower got worse during the pandemic, but some restaurants have success stories with staff retention—despite the huge challenges. We ask these F&B personalities about the importance of inspiring and growing talents.
Post-pandemic F&B challenges
One-Michelin-starred Restaurant Jag owner Anant Tyagi believes that F&B is still facing a great challenge in the area of recruitment and retention. “The lack of appeal is due to the very apparent instability of the industry during the pandemic,” Tyagi says. He believes that many first timers were the first to either be let go or placed on unpaid leaves during the pandemic. “People have found alternative employments that offer far greater flexibility and comparative renumeration packages,” Tyagi explains. “But now that the industry is on the path to recovery, the situation should improve over the next two years, and recruitment would become easier as companies become more engaging”.
Restaurant Zén’s general manager and beverage director, Aaron Jacobson, says that after people spent the past two years looking inward, many of those working into people (who want to live a somewhat normal life).
