Mark Lewis, Chief Executive of Hospitality Action, reflects on a challenging year in the sector.
As CEO of Hospitality Action, I’ve had a front-row seat to both the immense challenges and extraordinary resilience our industry has shown throughout 2025. This year has tested hospitality more than any in recent memory and yet our community has demonstrated its strength, compassion, and determination to keep moving forward.
The sector has endured significant job losses – nearly 100,000 roles – driven by April’s National Insurance rise, long-term fallout from the pandemic, ongoing cost-of-living pressures, and chronic staffing shortages. Many businesses have been forced to overhaul budgets and staffing models just to survive, while employees face reduced hours, heightened workloads, and growing job insecurity. The emotional and financial toll of this instability continues to erode wellbeing and retention across the industry.
The economic pressures of 2025 have deepened the strain on hospitality households. Rising rents and bills have pushed many working families into crisis and we’ve seen a sharp rise in applications for emergency grants to prevent evictions and manage essential living costs. Increased financial pressures has also led to a worrying rise in cases involving problem gambling, further highlighting the need for specialist intervention.
Despite these pressures, we have also seen employers show deep commitment to their people. Demand for our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and mental health training continues to grow and in a show of solidarity, more than 1,500 people took part in Hospitality Action’s Walk for Wellbeing event this year. Senior leaders are increasingly recognising their own pressures and seeking support, an important cultural shift towards openness and care.
We have remained a vital lifeline. Since 2020, our grants outlay has reached nearly £6 million, our EAP supports around 200,000 hospitality workers, and thousands more are helped through our Golden Friends scheme. Our new benefits advisory service unlocked £500,000 for beneficiaries, pushing our annual financial impact this year beyond £1.5 million.
Looking ahead to 2026, challenges will undoubtedly persist but so will the resilience, spirit, and community that define hospitality. Whatever lies ahead, Hospitality Action will be here to ensure that in every sense, we’ve got you.