A leading recruitment firm has called on the government to fast-track changes to the work visa process to address staff shortages in the hospitality sector, claiming that Ireland will need 10,000 work visas processed in the next nine months.

Excel Recruitment has warned that businesses nationwide will face closure unless the government moves to "bridge the gap" between job vacancies and the number of staff available to fill them.

Fáilte Ireland claimed there were 40,000 vacancies to be filled as it launched a package of measures to support the tourism and hospitality trade, with research showing that four in 10 workers on PUP did not return to their employer while a third left the industry.

The roles most urgently sought to be filled include chefs, hotel managers and sales and marketing professionals, while around a quarter of vacancies are in middle management positions.

Excel director Shane McLave said businesses must look overseas to fill the employment gap, urging the government to make the visa process for workers coming to Ireland from outside the EU to be made faster, less expensive and more flexible.

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"Ireland’s hospitality sector is yet again facing almost insurmountable challenges as pubs, restaurants, hotels and other outlets throughout the country emerge shaken but standing from the most tumultuous period for Ireland’s hospitality in living memory," McLave said.

"The businesses that have managed to stay afloat are now experiencing serious staffing shortages – particularly in the positions of chefs, kitchen porters, and front of house staff. The list is endless really.

"The numbers required in terms of the workforce are simply not here at the moment, so like many growing and successful economies, we must look overseas to fill the gap. But this is an immediate problem and as it stands the solution i.e., the work visa process, is cumbersome and slow. It needs to change – and thankfully it’s not a difficult fix."

At present, a chef coming from abroad is required to have a job offer before they arrive, and their visa will only allow them to work for one employer. Excel advocates for an Australian visa model, which would allow applicants to work for multiple employers.

McLave said the current system does not "cut the mustard in the current climate", citing the case of a group of workers from Korea whose visas took almost six months to process and came "at a major cost to the employer".

"The government needs to fast track the process and reducing the cost of permits, or at making permits transferable. Something akin to a one- or two-year visa is what we need which allows skilled workers to work for more than just one employer," McLave said.

"If we don’t do something, restaurants will close, standards will drop, which will have a knock-on impact our international reputation as a high-quality tourist destination."

The company has also called for swift changes to work eligibility for overseas students studying in Ireland to be made, with thousands of students on Stamp 2 visas allowed to work only for 20 hours per week for seven months of the year.

(Pic: Getty Images)