Events and Activities

The Big Read: F&B manpower woes — with the big productivity push? Or are there just too many eateries in S’pore?

Date: 17 April 2022

F&B industry was among the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic over the past two years
The sector’s manpower shortage has hit home especially in recent weeks, as Singapore significantly eased its Covid-19 restrictions
F&B businesses expect the situation to worsen and impede the sector’s recovery when tourism picks up again. In fact, the interdependence between the two sectors should also make policymakers sit up to address the issue, some felt
Govt agencies stress the need for the sector to reduce its manpower reliance and pointed out that there is an ‘oversaturation’ in the industry, with more and more F&B firms being set up even during the pandemic years
They added that the quality of jobs and the wage levels will be adversely affected if the F&B sector doesn’t raise its productivity