Tag: employment

Staffing is biggest concern for 69% of Irish food businesses

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

69% Irish food businesses say the availability of skilled workers is a serious concern, according to new research released by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

Brexit was shown to be the second greatest future worry for food businesses, with over two thirds (67%) identifying its unknown impact as a business concern going forward. The food businesses interviewed cited particular concerns around increases in costs of supplies, tariffs and exchange rates in respect of Brexit on the Irish food industry. Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO, FSAI, said: “Our research shows that difficulties in attracting skilled staff and increased regulations and taxes are among the perceived threats that food businesses are citing. At the same time, the final outcome of Brexit is still not yet known almost three years since the referendum took place, and this is also concerning food businesses here.”

The research was carried out by Amárach and looked at the attitudes and feelings of over 200 national and international food business SMEs, including importers, wholesalers, manufacturers, producers, operators and retailers. The research also showed that food allergens and ingredients labelling is the number one concern for Irish food businesses from a regulatory perspective. A majority (73%) were increasingly confident about food safety regulation, believing that Irish produced food is safer now than it was five years ago. Despite the increased confidence, numerous food safety concerns remain for food businesses. The food industry is apprehensive about allergens and ingredients labelling; food hygiene and handling requirements; and other widely noted food safety concerns including the use of hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and additives.

Around one third (31%) of those surveyed do not feel well enough informed in terms of food safety information, despite a high proportion claiming to cover this in-house or via consultants.

If you are a hospitality, food or FMCG manager looking for assistance with your recruitment, get in touch with any of our expert team at 01-8717676. If you would like to enquire more about Manual Handling or HACCP training for you or your team email info@futureprooftraining.ie

Live events drum up 1.7 bn in revenue for Irish economy

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

A massive €1.7bn in revenue was created over a 12-month period by live entertainment events. Events such as concerts, festivals and theatre performances saw people attending in huge numbers, resulting in a major boost to the economy.

This number applies revenue created outside of the actual ticket price of the event which means that for every €1 spent on a concert or show, some €6.06 is generated in the rest of the economy. More than four million people attended Ticketmaster events on this island between March 1, 2015 and February 29 2016, generating employment for nearly 11,500 people. This included almost 300,000 overseas visitors.

In total, live events were the reason for approximately 3.7m bookings in Irish hotels and guesthouses, the equivalent of 54 ‘sold out’ All-Ireland finals at Croke Park. In the Republic alone, €1.3bn was generated by live events during those 12 months. In total, the events were attended by 3.4m people. Of these people, nearly 440,000 came from the North or overseas. Justin Green, of Wide Awake Communications, who carried out the study, said the entertainment industry was “frequently overlooked” when it came to its importance to the economy.

Of the nearly three million tickets sold for live events in the Republic during the period covered, some 2,262,090 were for music gigs, 860,946 were for arts, theatre and comedy events, and 293,375 were for family events and exhibitions.Music events generated up €900m in additional revenue, while arts, theatre and comedy generated €300m. Family events created a surge of €61m to the economy.

The report does not represent the total attendance at live events in Ireland, given that it only covers The report only covers Ticketmaster sales so does not represent the total attendance of live events.It also does not include the estimated 100,000 people who went to free live events during the same 12-month period.

The average age of most attendees at events in the Republic was 25 to 34 at 30%. Just over 25% of attendees were in the 35 to 44 age group, and 20% of people in the 16 to 24 age group.When it came to rating their experience at Ticketmaster events in Ireland, most attendees gave the events a positive review. Of nearly 6,000 respondents surveyed, they gave an average rating of 8.8 out of 10 for the quality of the event.

Some of the biggest concerts during the time period covered would have included Fleetwood Mac at the 3Arena, rockers AC/DC, and Foo Fighters, who played a huge gig at Slane Castle in May 2015.