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• Research also finds that young people, disabled people and the LGBTQ community at higher risk of chronic loneliness
• Ministers across a range of Government departments to launch a renewed effort to tackle loneliness as part of national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

New research published today by the Government has identified direct links between chronic loneliness and mental health distress.

The findings, which coincide with the start of Loneliness Awareness Week, analysed mental health wellbeing and the impacts of loneliness over a sustained period, with results showing that chronic loneliness played a significant role in the onset and continuation of mental health distress.

The analysis also shows that mental health distress can play a significant role in the onset and continuation of chronic loneliness. Chronic loneliness is defined as people reporting they ‘often’ or ‘always’ feel lonely.

It suggests that targeted early intervention may play a more significant role in combating the effects of loneliness on mental health in the short term.

The Minister for Civil Society and Youth will now bring together ministers from a range of government departments to drive forward a renewed effort to tackle loneliness. The group will develop a delivery plan which will draw on this new evidence and set out new government action on loneliness early next year.

It will build on the 2018 Tackling Loneliness Strategy and the Government’s work to tackle loneliness during the pandemic through its £750 million charity funding package.

Minister for Civil Society and Youth Nigel Huddleston said: “Loneliness can affect all of us and the research published today highlights that young and disabled people, alongside those with long-term health conditions, are disproportionately affected by loneliness.

“As we start Loneliness Awareness Week I encourage everyone to reach out to someone they think may be feeling alone or isolated.

“The Government prioritised tackling loneliness through the pandemic and we will now redouble our efforts to protect those most at risk.”

Since the strategy for tackling loneliness was launched in 2018, the Government has continued to play a world-leading role, including appointing the first ever Minister for Loneliness.

It has joined forces with a range of charitable partners to invest over £50 million pounds to help tackle the issue, with funding helping thousands of people to connect through the things that matter to them.

The independent research from the National Centre for Social Research was compiled from data encompassing over 35,000 people aged 16 and over from 2013/14 to 2019/20. As part of the study, researchers looked at what types of people were vulnerable to loneliness, whether risk factors for loneliness had changed, the relationship between mental wellbeing and loneliness, and what factors alleviated loneliness in the short term.

The new findings show that, in addition to the link between loneliness and mental health distress, specific groups of people are more vulnerable to the effects of loneliness:

• Young people between 16-34 were found to be particularly at risk, with research showing they were at five times greater risk of chronic loneliness than those aged 65 or older. Drivers of loneliness in young people were identified as negative social experiences, such as bullying from peers and siblings and arguments with parents.
• People with a disability or long standing health condition were 2.9 times more likely to experience chronic loneliness, and were less likely to move out of loneliness than those without a disability.
• Those in the LGBTQ community were also disproportionately affected, with people who identified as gay or lesbian 1.4 times more likely to be lonely, and people who identified as bisexual 2.5 times more likely to be lonely.
• Those in the lowest income quintile were 50 per cent more likely to experience chronic loneliness when compared with the wealthiest quintile.

Minister for Mental Health Gillian Keegan said: “Loneliness is a growing issue – and this research emphasises the continued need to ensure those feeling lonely can access the resources they need.

“We’re accelerating the rollout of mental health support teams in schools and expanding community services for adults and young people to make sure everyone can access support, as well as providing helpful advice and resources on the Every Mind Matters website.

“We’ve also recently opened a call for evidence to gather views from the public to inform a new 10-year mental health plan which will focus on ensuring the nation is in positive mental wellbeing.”

Dr Sokratis Dinos, Director of Health at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), said: This research highlights the significant relationship between loneliness and mental health. People experiencing chronic loneliness were shown in our study to be nearly four times more likely than people without chronic loneliness to be in mental distress.

“Poor mental health can lead to difficulties connecting with others, social withdrawal and loneliness, while loneliness can equally contribute to poor mental health.

“Our research highlights the benefit of targeted support for people at different life stages, and community based activities for people with shared interests to improve outcomes.”

During the pandemic, the Government made tackling loneliness a priority by allocating loneliness as a specific target category in the Government’s £750 million charity funding package.

The Government continues to encourage people to ‘lift someone out of loneliness’ as part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign, emphasising the benefits of social connection this Loneliness Awareness Week.

The research findings can be found here and here.

·       Research from Caterer.com highlights long-term challenges facing the sector as majority of 18-24-year-olds see hospitality as ‘just a temporary job’

·       Misconceptions around poor pay and a lack of flexibility are amongst the top reasons why 18–24-year-olds are currently not considering a career in the sector

·       Specialist recruitment solutions partner, Caterer.com partners with Youth Employment UK to change perceptions of jobs in the sector through a series of real-life ‘Hospitality Hero’ videos being used across schools and accessed directly by school leavers

With hospitality businesses facing talent shortages alongside increased demand and higher customer expectation, employers are focused on attracting the next generation of skilled workers.

However new research from specialist recruitment solutions partner, Caterer.com, reveals that 95% of school leavers are not currently considering a career in the sector.

The research highlights the challenges facing pub, restaurant, hotel owners and caterers as they strive to boost the sector’s image following a sharp drop in available talent, particularly from outside the UK.

Whilst Caterer.com data shows a jump in salaries and a record number of roles offering more than £50,000 a year, the research also shows that a lack of information on potential career opportunities has led to misconceptions about the sector with over half (55%) of school leavers viewing hospitality jobs as just a temporary fix and 44% believing that the sector does not offer career progression.

As part of a range of industry initiatives to tackle the problem, Caterer.com has partnered with Youth Employment UK and Choose Hospitality to launch a campaign that will provide school leavers with advice and real-world interviews showcasing the breadth of roles through a range of engaging content.

Parents and the curriculum discouraging school leavers

The research shows that parents have the biggest influence on career choices of school leavers, however just one in five (23%) would encourage their child to pursue a career in the hospitality sector as they believe it offers low pay, has anti-social working hours and there is a poor earning potential. Most parents would prefer their child to explore a career in industries such as engineering, law, management, or finance.

Furthermore, many young people feel that they have not been properly informed about hospitality jobs at school and 61% feel the removal of food technology from the national curriculum has undermined a career in the sector. Any presence of hospitality within the curriculum has historically focused solely on kitchen-based roles, which fails to inform students about the vast breadth of roles and opportunities within the sector.

Positive signs but a long way to go

Despite negative parental influence and only five percent planning to have a career in hospitality, the research shows over half (56%) of school leavers agree that the sector is an attractive career option. Some of the biggest draws are the opportunity to learn new skills (30%), flexible hours (28%), wanting to work with the public (24%), variety (21%) and having the opportunity to travel (17%).

Of those that were not interested in a career in the sector the top factors that would encourage them to reconsider were better pay (37%), good working hours (28%), better earning potential (26%), good career opportunities (23%), and if it was a less stressful career (20%).

Kathy Dyball, Director at Caterer.com said: “In an industry wide effort to attract and retain talent, many hospitality employers have taken great steps to improve pay, offer comprehensive benefit packages and flexible working hours.

“As an industry, we are also taking action to address the misconceptions of the sector, promote the long-term development opportunities and ensure we have a healthy pipeline of entry level talent to move the sector forward. To do this, it’s crucial we reach young people as they make critical decisions about their careers.

“At Caterer.com we have teamed up with Youth Employment UK and Choose Hospitality to create a series of videos showing real-life ‘hospitality heroes’ in action, which will be used as an educational resource in schools around the UK.

“We also know parents play a big role in their child’s career choices, however sadly our research shows that many parents wouldn’t encourage their children to pursue a role in hospitality. Their views on the sector are based on outdated experiences of past generations, and are not a true reflection of how the industry currently operates. These misconceptions need to be continually challenged.

“Our research shows positive signs upon which industry employers can continue to build upon this in their employment packages.”

Breaking the barriers to entry to the hospitality industry

Caterer.com’s campaign in partnership with Youth Employment UK and Choose Hospitality will showcase an ongoing series of videos, featuring real-world interviews with hospitality workers and leading chefs, in schools across the country.

These will act as educational career guides and will showcase to both pupils and parents the world-leading brands and progressive opportunities that the industry can offer from entry level up.

Carlito Carroll, Commis Chef Apprentice at Nobu Hotel London Portman Square, is one of the stars of the Hospitality Heroes series.

Carlito said: “I was studying a variety of courses in school and looking at jobs in engineering when one day I sat down and decided to do something I loved – cooking. It brings me so much joy so I decided to find an apprenticeship course because it would allow me to earn whilst I work and learn!

“I really get excited about coming into Nobu Hotel London Portman Square – cooking, seeing people happy once they eat my food and sharing the same passion as my colleagues.”

James Wingerath, Director at Youth Employment UK said: “Young people have told us that they are not aware of the amazing opportunities available to them.

“The Hospitality Heroes videos and supporting guidance are a great resource to inform young people about the many job roles available in the sector and how to access them.”

Claire Bosi, Editor at Choose Hospitality, added: “We created the Choose Hospitality initiative to inspire and educate people on the vast range of opportunities across the sector.

“We work with many industry ambassadors to share their experiences and demonstrate just how exciting and rewarding a career in hospitality can be.

“After all, who’s better placed to showcase how great the industry is, than people in the industry.”

More than 19,000 new entry level hospitality roles are currently available on Caterer.com, having increased by 71% over the last two years.

Entry level talent can try their hand at the industry with a variety of roles across the country, such as Commis chef roles, catering staff roles and waiter jobs.

There are also numerous ‘earn-while-you-learn’ pathways into the industry through colleges and apprenticeships that provide practical training and skills development at the start of a career.

For more information on vacancies within the hospitality industry visit www.caterer.com.