Almost one million hospitality staff expected to return to work in July

According to the research, 960,000 staff are expected to go back to work from furlough over the course of July, with a further 720,000 returning by the end of September.

However, the survey, which received responses from the operators of more than 15,000 venues, also reveals that around 320,000 redundancies are expected to be made in the coming months.

What's more, the figures suggest that, between July and September, a significantly higher number of part-time workers will return over full-time employees.

Just over two thirds of restaurant businesses expect to have reopened by the end of July; as do around three-quarters of pubs and accommodation businesses.

In total, 7% of hospitality businesses say they not expecting to operate at the majority of their sites until October.

While 93% of single-site operators are expected to have reopened by October, 20% of larger groups with 250 sites or more predict that their sites will not all be reopened until October or later.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls describes the findings as 'incredibly positive', saying they show 'a fantastic demonstration of the very hard work that businesses have put in getting themselves ready to reopen'.

“Everyone can see the devastating effect that this crisis has had on hospitality businesses," she says. 

"Venues have been closed for months and millions of workers in the sector have been furloughed. To see such large numbers of businesses ready to open again, welcoming back so many staff members so quickly is hugely encouraging.

“We know that lots of customers have been incredibly keen to get back out and support their local businesses. It means a lot to customers to be able to go to their favourite restaurant or pub again, but it will mean even more to staff members who may have been unsure whether they would be able to return to their jobs.

“There is still a long way to go and businesses are by no means out of the woods yet. This is a very positive start, though. Getting venues open and customers through the doors means that more jobs will be kept safe. Despite the positive news we need support for those businesses that are still not able to open, and for those whose jobs rely upon them.”