Hospitality recruiters have called upon businesses to invest in jobs in local communities as the recession takes hold.

The calls follow a Nottingham-based restaurateur’s plan to build a new eatery in a former public toilet block to encourage others to invest in developments and create more local jobs.

Umar Jaspal told local news website This is Nottingham: “The idea is to send a message to the business community that everyone benefited during the good days but now we need to invest back into the community and create jobs.”

Alan Hogg, director at Kerry Robert Associates, agrees. He told Recruiter: “People are going to be less likely to want to travel. In the past, we would travel greater distances. I think it is incredibly important that local businesses are supported.

Jane Brumby, director at Apple Appointments, adds: “It’s incredibly important to invest in local jobs. It is important to your business within your local area to support your area.

“The universities [in Exeter] have done away with a lot catering jobs because students are coming in from outside the local area and they will work for minimum wage.”

Gary King, director at Collins King & Associates, says: “I think it is very important in the current economic climate that companies look to take on employees from their local area and invest in their own communities. I do think most individual restaurant, bar and retail catering operators try to do this wherever possible if there are the right skills available in their area. 

“However, it is harder to do this in the larger cities like Central London where there is a lack of affordable local housing and employees have to travel.”

Hannah Horler, managing director at Cartwheel Management Recruitment, a recruiter in the Nottingham area, says: “In fairness, any of our clients in Nottingham, even if they are recruiting in other cities, generally like someone who knows the local markets.

“Nottingham is a relatively fluid market. There are a lot of restaurants that have been here for a relatively long time. Someone who knows the local market is quite beneficial - even more so, with the economy the way it is at the moment.”