Neil Moore from the Unite trade union agrees that the sector is facing real cost pressures.
His concern is not just for people losing jobs, but those who face increasing stress at work as businesses try to operate with fewer people.
“Energy costs, business rates, National Insurance changes and wider economic factors are all having an impact,” he said.
“But that cannot be used as a blanket explanation for what we are seeing in hospitality.
“What matters is how those pressures are responded to.
“Too often, the default is to cut labour costs.
“Hours are reduced, staffing is tightened, wages are squeezed, insecure contracts are relied on more heavily.”
He also points to what economists refer to as underemployment, where someone has a job, but is not working as many hours as they would like.
“We are seeing people move into roles, even at slightly higher pay, and leave within weeks because the hours are too unstable,” he said.
“Workers are fed up being at the beck and call of employers when it suits the business.
“When trade dips, workers carry the risk. That means taking second jobs, struggling between pay days or trying to piece together enough hours to get by.”