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Workforce &
Skills

The UK alcohol sector spans viticulturists, distillers, brewers, cellar engineers, supply chain specialists and the much larger on-trade workforce of bar staff, chefs, hotel teams and venue managers.

Each has its own labour market dynamics; what they share is structural recruitment difficulty since 2020. The relevant policy levers sit across the Home Office, DBT, the Department for Education and devolved administrations.

UK alcohol sector workforce, distillation skills and hospitality recruitment
CategorySector & SustainabilityStatusActive Advocacy

Read as

For everyone: Workforce shortage shows up directly in the financials: unfilled chef vacancies close kitchens, missing cellar engineers slow brewing schedules, vacant front-of-house positions cap covers and revenue. The structural constraint on growth is people, not demand.

Why this matters

Structural shortages

UKHospitality, the BBPA and the SWA have all consistently identified workforce as a structural constraint on growth. Skilled production roles in distilling, viticulture, brewing and cellar engineering have particularly long lead times to fill.

Apprenticeship Levy mismatch

The Apprenticeship Levy3 was designed for large employers and has not adapted well to the SME-heavy structure of much of the alcohol sector. Short qualifying programmes that work for distilleries, vineyards and small breweries are limited; sectoral training providers like the IBD4 and WSET5 offer industry-recognised programmes that levy structures don't always reflect.

Regional concentration

The sector is regionally concentrated: distilling in Scotland, cider in the South West, viticulture in the South and East, hospitality across all regions. Skills funding settlements that ignore that concentration miss the actual labour market.

Our position

  • Skilled production roles in distilling, viticulture, brewing and cellar engineering should have explicit recognition in the Skilled Worker route, with appropriate salary thresholds for genuinely sectoral roles, including via the Immigration Salary List.

  • The Apprenticeship Levy needs reform to better serve SMEs, including greater flexibility in eligible programme types and the ability to pool levy across employer groups in the same sector.

  • Co-funded distillation, viticulture and brewing training programmes should be supported, building on existing institutions including the WSET, the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and Plumpton College.

  • Regional pilots for seasonal workforce access (vineyard harvest, cider apple harvest, summer hospitality peaks) should be explored as a structured response to the loss of EU-based seasonal workers.

  • Workforce policy should reflect the UK alcohol sector's regional concentration: distilling in Scotland, cider in the South West, viticulture in the South and East, hospitality everywhere.

What we are calling for

Production roles on the Immigration Salary List

Inclusion of skilled distilling, viticulture, brewing and cellar engineering roles on the Immigration Salary List (the successor to the Shortage Occupation List from April 2024), recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee, with sector-appropriate salary thresholds.

Apprenticeship Levy reform for SMEs

Levy flexibility allowing SME employers to pool funds within sectoral employer groups, fund shorter qualifying programmes, and use levy spend on technical training that is already industry-recognised.

Co-funded sectoral training

Department for Education and DBT co-funded training programmes in distillation, viticulture, cellar engineering and brewing, partnered with established sectoral training providers.

Regional seasonal worker pilots

Regional pilots for time-limited seasonal worker access in viticulture, cider production and summer hospitality, with structured employer accreditation and worker protections.

Sector-specific skills funding settlements

DBT-DfE coordinated funding settlements that reflect the alcohol sector's regional concentration, particularly in Scottish distilling, South West cider, Southern English viticulture and the on-trade across all regions.

How we engage

Alcohol Ltd's policy programme covers the Home Office, the Migration Advisory Committee, the Department for Education, the Department for Business and Trade, devolved administrations and sectoral training providers, including monitoring of MAC Immigration Salary List reviews, Apprenticeship Levy consultations and skills funding settlements relevant to the alcohol sector.

To register interest or share material relevant to this topic, write to policy@alcohol.uk.

Primary sources

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