Prezzo has announced it will give its staff a pay rise next month and close all of its restaurants on Boxing Day. The Italian-themed restaurant chain said all 2,500 staff would see their wages go up by an average of 4%. It is the latest firm to announce such a move as the sector tries to retain workers and attract new staff amid a recruitment crisis. Prezzo also said it had introduced development plans to "encourage" people to pursue careers with the company. Several other firms have made similar announcements as they attempt to retain staff and recruit new workers with better pay and perks. Last week, Asian food chain Itsu announced it was giving all in-store workers an 11% wage increase, while coffee chain Costa said it was handing out a 5% pay rise for 14,500 staff working at its company-owned stores in the UK. Retailers Ocado, Aldi and Waitrose have all increased lorry driver wages, and Tesco has offered £1,000 joining bonuses. Job vacancies have hit record highs across the country as the economy continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and the hospitality sector has 134,000 vacancies, with many businesses reporting that positions are hard to fill. Industry bodies say one in five workers has left the sector during the pandemic, with Brexit often blamed for making the situation worse.
