While opportunities fall away in Dubai, hospitality recruiters see Abu Dhabi, the US and Africa as growth areas for the sector this year.

Mark Norris, chief executive at Profile, told Recruiter: “Dubai has an eerie feel about it, as many of the cranes have fallen silent and a good few projects have gone on hold.

“However, there are a huge number of hotels and restaurants to work in even if things are somewhat different to 12 months ago. There is still plenty of opportunity for qualified hospitality workers.

“The location which I feel rather more confident about is Abu Dhabi. On the new Yaz Island alone, home to Formula 1 in 2009, there will be many thousand job opportunities created as there will be throughout Abu Dhabi, a land in the state of total  transformation.

“One area that I tip for the best opportunities over the next few years is Africa, particularly the eastern coastline.”

Paul Rogers, managing director at Admiral, adds: “I think people are going to start going back to the States. There is huge positivity around Barack being inaugurated. There is good value and I think hospitality in the US is going to get stronger.”