Almost 90,000 Jobs Lost To COVID Restrictions In UK Night Time Sector

A couple walking in front of the houses of parliament in London.
Belinda Jiao/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images – A couple walking in front of the houses of parliament in London.
The UK lifted all COVID restrictions on July 19, but the damage has been done: almost 90,000 jobs were lost in the country’s cultural night time sector since 2019.

A report released Oct. 11, commissioned by the UK’s Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), has found that the country’s night time cultural economy sector “has been ravaged by the pandemic, with around 86,000 jobs lost since the 2019 high.”

In 2019, the UK’s night time cultural economy accounted for 1.6% of the country’s GDP, or £36.4 billion ($49.6 billion), accounting for 425,000 jobs across the UK.
The report’s revelations “have implications for the wider economy’s recovery from the pandemic, with clear evidence of significant economic ‘scarring’,” according to a NTIA statement, which continues, “While the government is portraying shortages in many sectors as being ‘transitional’ on the path to a high wage economy, there are fears that many of the jobs lost to the pandemic in the night time economy sector will lost for good, with businesses closing and persistently lower demand for services.”
The association, which has been leading the opposition to government proposals for vaccine passports, said that the new data shows that “it is the worst possible time to introduce vaccine passports, which will further damage a sector essential to the economic recovery.”
NTIA have made a series of recommendations to the country’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on how to support the sector ahead of the upcoming Oct. 21 announcement of the Autumn Budget.
In his foreword to the report, Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Night Time Economy, Conservative MP Christian Wakeford, commented on the importance of recognizing the value of nightlife industries, but warned, “as we look to rebuild from the devastation of the pandemic, we must not leave this vital sector behind.”
 
Michael Kill
NTIA – Michael Kill
CEO of the UK’s Night Time Industries Association.

Michael Kill, CEO of the NTIA, commented: “We are pleased to be able to present today this important and timely piece of work quantifying, for the first time, the size of the night time economy in the UK.

 
“Important, because in my 25-year career working in UK nightlife, it has always struck me as so odd that we did not have a proper accounting of the value of this important sector. Today’s report puts that right, and is long overdue.
 
“It’s timely because at this moment, governments in Scotland and Wales are pressing ahead with chaotic vaccine passport plans, and the UK Government refuses to rule out their use in England. It is the worst possible time to introduce vaccine passports, which will further damage a sector essential to the economic recovery.
 
“It is crucial the Chancellor use the upcoming Budget to support this beleaguered sector. We are calling for him to extend the 12.5% rate of VAT on hospitality until 2024, include door sales in that reduced rate of VAT, because the present system punishes nightclubs that rely on door sales rather than selling tickets, and for him to ensure there are no increases in Alcohol Duties – our sector really cannot afford any additional burdens.”