Rising employment costs are impacting the industry's ability to recruit younger and entry-level staff, according to a survey by the Meetings Industry Association (MIA).
The research undertaken in June 2026, found that 90% of professionals from across the business meetings and events sector were stemming recruitment of junior-level staff due the impact of the increased Employer's National Insurance and National Minimum Wage, while a fifth of organisations had reduced their workforces over the last year due to cost pressures.
Meanwhile, rising operating costs are influencing recruitment plans for 69% of organisations, with cost pressures directly impacting hiring decisions. Forty per cent of organisations have delayed recruitment while a similar proportion (38%) have increased workloads for existing employees instead of hiring.
The drought of new hires is leading many organisations to re-shape their workforces. More than half (51%) of the survey's respondents highlighted that the composition of their workforce has changed in the last 12
months with 26% saying they were focusing more on senior or experienced employees, while the same
proportion increased multi‑skilling across teams.
The future workforce
Confidence in the industry's ability to attract future talent remains mixed, with more than half (57%) of employers highlighting a lack of confidence about the sector's ability to secure the workforce it needs in the years ahead.
This has led many employers to take action, with 73% actively developing early‑career staff for future leadership roles, while 38% increase their investment in training and development.
In particular, employers identified leadership, AI and automation, creativity, communication and customer experience as the most important skills for the next three to five years.
There were also positive findings around wellbeing, with more organisations embedding employee
wellbeing into their culture and employees reporting strong levels of work-life
balance and 77% of respondents agreeing with the statement: "I
have a good work-life balance."
Shonali Devereaux, chief executive of the MIA, said:
“If organisations are unable to bring enough new talent into the industry, we
face the prospect of a shrinking workforce at a time when the skills and
expertise needed to deliver world-class events are evolving rapidly.
“The results reinforce the conversations we are already
having with industry partners and policymakers about the need to make careers
in events more attractive, accessible and sustainable. Supporting employers’
ability to invest in people and to create clear pathways into the industry will
be essential to securing the talent pipeline our sector needs in the years
ahead.”
