Minister seeks 'right balance' of staff for ethnic restaurants

30/04/2008 08:55:34

A government minister has suggested that training British workers for local jobs at ethnic eateries could help ease the skills shortage some restaurateurs are reporting, it has been suggested.

Over the past few months, Indian and Chinese restaurants have expressed concern about their ability to recruit highly skilled people for chef roles at their venues, particularly in light of recent changes to the immigration system which have toughened rules on who can come to the UK to work.

They have questioned whether British chefs have the same in-depth knowledge of ethnic cuisine as those who were brought up in India or China.

According to the Birmingham Post, immigration minister Liam Byrne responded to criticism over the issue by commenting: "Are there parts of the economy in which, with Government investment, it makes sense to train up those who are out of work?

"We have to look long and hard to find the right balance between bringing in skills from overseas and providing investment in training for those in our resident labour force, especially those who are out of work."

Restaurant jobs across the UK and internationally

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