The Big Read: F&B manpower woes — whither the big productivity push? Or are there just too many eateries in S'pore?
SINGAPORE — Just months before the coronavirus landed on Singapore’s shores, Ms Anna Lim, the co-founder of The Soup Spoon, was already planning to pilot the use of self-ordering kiosks at selected outlets of the casual restaurant.
- 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
17 Apr 2022 08:00AM
(Updated: 18 Apr 2022 04:36PM)
Source: TODAY
