GeraJobs / UK Job Vacancies by Sector / Accommodation & food
Accommodation & food service activities — UK Job Vacancies
The UK Accommodation & food service activities sector had 69,000 unfilled job vacancies in March to May 2026 — 2.8 per 100 employee jobs, a Gera Vacancy Index of 127 (UK = 100), above the UK average. Real ONS VACS02 data.
How many job vacancies are there in the UK Accommodation & food sector?
As of March to May 2026 (ONS VACS02), the UK Accommodation & food service activities sector had 69,000 unfilled job vacancies — down 12.7% on a year earlier — at 2.8 vacancies per 100 employee jobs. That is a Gera Vacancy Index of 127 (UK = 100), above the UK average. Real ONS data, OGL v3.0; re-dated monthly.
Gera Vacancy Index
Accommodation & food service activities ranks #3 of 18 UK sectors by vacancy volume. 2.8 vacancies per 100 employee jobs vs the UK's 2.2 — a tighter labour market than the UK economy.
How this is calculatedAccommodation & food vs the UK
| Measure | Accommodation & food | UK (all sectors) |
|---|---|---|
| Unfilled vacancies (March to May 2026) | 69,000 | 707,000 |
| Vacancies per 100 employee jobs | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| Gera Vacancy Index (UK = 100) | 127 | 100 |
| Change on previous quarter | down 4,000 | — |
| Change year-on-year | -12.7% (-10,000) | — |
A year ago (March to May 2025) the Accommodation & food ratio was 3.2 vacancies per 100 jobs, on 79,000 vacancies.
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Unfilled vacancies
69,000
Per 100 employee jobs
2.8
Gera Vacancy Index
127
Accommodation & food service activities has 2.8 vacancies per 100 employee jobs, versus 2.2 for the whole UK — a Gera Vacancy Index of 127 (UK = 100), so a tighter, harder-to-hire market than the UK average. Vacancies are down 12.7% year-on-year.
Hiring in Accommodation & food? Post a vacancy on GeraJobsAccommodation & food vacancies — FAQ
- How many vacancies are there in the UK Accommodation & food sector?
- The UK Accommodation & food service activities sector had 69,000 unfilled job vacancies in March to May 2026, down 4,000 on the previous quarter and down 10,000 (12.7%) on a year earlier. These are real, seasonally adjusted ONS VACS02 estimates (SIC 2007 section I).
- What is the Gera Vacancy Index for Accommodation & food?
- The Gera Vacancy Index for Accommodation & food service activities is 127 (UK = 100), meaning the sector has a tighter labour market than the UK economy. It is computed as the sector's ONS ratio of 2.8 vacancies per 100 employee jobs divided by the UK figure of 2.2, times 100 — a transparent, reproducible calculation.
- Is hiring getting harder or easier in Accommodation & food?
- In Accommodation & food service activities, the vacancy ratio moved from 3.2 vacancies per 100 jobs a year ago to 2.8 now. Vacancies went from 79,000 to 69,000 over the year (-12.7%). All figures are real ONS VACS02 estimates; none are modelled.
Compare other UK sectors
- Human health & social work activities123
- Wholesale & retail trade; repair of motor vehicles91
- Professional, scientific & technical activities100
- Administrative & support service activities91
- Manufacturing95
- Education77
- Information & communication127
- Construction91
- Transport & storage91
- Financial & insurance activities136
- Public admin & defence; compulsory social security82
- Other service activities100
- Arts, entertainment & recreation68
- Real estate activities68
- Water supply, sewerage, waste & remediation132
- Electricity, gas, steam & air conditioning supply109
- Mining & quarrying114
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Related on GeraJobs
- UK job vacancies — all sectors ranked — and how the Gera Vacancy Index is calculated.
- Gera Pay Index — UK salary by region — how pay varies across the UK, from real ONS ASHE data.
- Post a Accommodation & food vacancy on GeraJobs — reach candidates in this sector now.
Source: ONS Vacancies and jobs in the UK — Vacancies by industry (VACS02) (SIC 2007 section I, series JP9O / JPA9). Figures are March to May 2026, seasonally adjusted, 3-month rolling, released 18 June 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3). The Gera Vacancy Index for Accommodation & food service activities is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.