The hotel and catering industry in the United Kingdom is estimated to have employed 2,392,000 people in 1990--about 9 percent of the total work force in employment in the country. These figures came from a major study into the skills needs of the hotel and catering industry in relation to the current provision of vocational education. Data are based on a nationwide survey carried out in early 1991 of the industry and the educational establishment that serves it, together with a literature search and quantitative and statistical analysis. Employment growth of 5 percent is forecast for the commercial sectors from 1990-95 and just under 2 percent in the catering services sector. Employers will be looking for an average of over 3,000 skilled, supervisory, and managerial staff per week. College output is likely to provide only 28 percent of the annual replacement needs for all skilled personnel in the industry. The industry is better qualified than it was 5 years ago, but remains underqualified by comparison with the rest of the economy. Employers show a clear and continuing commitment to training and development of existing staff. Education providers are providing management-level programs and supervisory skills. Employers are not satisfied with the quality of their staff. The more qualifications staff had, the more their managers were satisfied with them. Colleges offer many more places, but demand has grown rapidly, too. (Thirty tables and 28 figures are provided.) (YLB)