The UK hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry is entering a decade of opportunity, with employment predicted to grow by more than 200,000 by 2017.

Launching ‘The State of the Nation Report 2010’, David Fairhurst (pictured), chairman of People 1st, the sector skills council for the sector, told employers and training and skills providers in London that 700,000 employment opportunities would be created each year.

Fairhurst, who is also senior vice-president people at McDonald’s, said that much of the impetus for this expansion came from the UK entering “a global decade of sport” including the London 2012 Olympics.

Based on People 1st’s figures, employment is projected to grow from 2.2m in 2007 to 2.4m in 2017.

In his analysis of The State of the Nation Report, Martin-Christian Kent, research and policy director at People 1st, said that while 47% of the 2,000 businesses surveyed believed the recession had made recruitment easier, many employers were continuing to experience difficulties in recruiting staff with particular skill sets.

For example, 26% of employers said they found it difficult to recruit chefs. Recruiting managers was also proving difficult, with 14% saying they can’t find individuals with the skills required and 11% saying they can’t afford the salaries to attract the right people.