Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1493916
2 NEWS 2.3.2023 THE Malta Hotels and Restaurants As- sociation (MHRA) has today presented the BOV Deloitte Restaurants perfor- mance results for the Year 2022 along with the outcome of a Diners Sentiment Analysis from across the Maltese is- lands sponsored by ProKitchen. Deloitte Financial Advisory Partner, Raphael Aloisio reported that the sur- vey results show a reasonably strong re- bound for all restaurant categories. Although 73% of survey participants reported increased revenue when com- pared to 2021, 54% have still not yet recovered pre-covid pandemic reve- nue levels. In addition to the unavoid- able challenges related to recovering lost revenue, most operators across the board reported significant increases in both payroll and other operational costs. 67% of respondents are expecting a more positive 2023, with the least op- timistic establishments being those based in Gozo and the Southern region of Malta whilst operators in the Central region were the most positive. "Restaurants are the cornerstone of our communities we serve, and for the hundreds of employees who come to work in our industry every day, the opportunities for a life-long career are limitless," said MHRA President Tony Zahra. MHRA President Tony Zahra stated that, "Now that we are facing recovery, we need to work harder to help our res- taurants raise the bar in offering a ho- listic quality experience to diners. We also need to work hand in hand with Government to where possible keep sustaining the sector to address the ex- traordinary rise in costs experienced at in international level as it happened in the energy sector and continue address- ing the issues related to recruitment of staff. When facing such challenges, typ- ical operators don't have much margin for error. With major input costs esca- lating, they can make changes to align with local consumer demand while realigning operations for longer term growth." Zahra also said that MHRA as the representative of the restaurants sec- tor in the Maltese islands is excited to keep working with stakeholders so even more people can join our community that is committed to serving employees and guests. Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said government will continue working hand in hand with the hospitality industry to ensure the development of the country's tourism product. is ranges from infrastructural im- provements and higher levels of food handling and hygiene to a more flexible sector which adapts to the changes in the market," he said. "e attraction of greater quantities of independent tourists has nurtured huge opportunities and increased business for the local catering industry. ere- fore, we need to continue striving to in- duce even more expenditure and activ- ity in this regard," outlined in a message delivered to the restaurateurs." A workshop was also organised for at- tendees by executives from the Depart- ment of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) who explained the law in a simplified manner and addressed case studies and specific situations. is workshop was held in collaboration with the Gozo Tourism Association and the Malta Tourism Authority. Restaurant operators end 2022 with positive outlook, MHRA survey finds THE seasonally adjusted monthly unemploy- ment rate for January 2023 stood at 3.0 per cent, up by 0.1 percentage points when com- pared with the previous month. During January 2023, the number of unem- ployed persons was 9,103, with the males and 25 to 74 age group being the major contrib- utors to the overall level of unemployment. e seasonally adjusted number of unem- ployed youths amounted to 2,783, whereas those aged between 25 and 74 years stood at 6,319. For January 2023, the unemployment rate for males stood at 3.1 per cent, increasing by 0.1 percentage points when compared with the previous month. e rate for females stood at 2.9 per cent, at par with December 2022. e unemployment rate for persons aged 15 to 24 years (youth unemployment rate) was 9.6 per cent, while the rate for those aged be- tween 25 and 74 years stood at 2.3 per cent. January monthly unemployment rate steady at 3% Chart 2. Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate by age group 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J 2021 2022 2023 per cent period 15 to 24 years 25 to 74 years Table 2. Seasonally adjusted unemployment levels by age group, sex and month Sex Age group Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate by age group