Trends Affecting Hiring in the Hospitality Industry and How to Overcome Them

Many industries faced challenges during the 2020 COVID pandemic, and the hospitality industry was no exception. In the hospitality sector, many businesses experienced revenue losses due to COVID restrictions and shutdowns. This and many other challenges led to employee layoffs, which unfortunately resulted in a staff shortage post-pandemic as job trends shifted and former hospitality employees embarked on new careers.

Read on to learn more about the trends affecting hiring in the hospitality industry and how to overcome them.

Hiring Trends Affecting the Hospitality Industry

1). Increased Work from Home Positions During the pandemic, many companies allowed their employees to work from home. Due to geographical distance, this drew many people to positions they wouldn’t have considered previously.

2). More Flexible Positions Before the pandemic, working from 9 to 5 was the norm and was accepted by most. However, as jobs became remote, they also became flexible, allowing those with children to work at odd hours to care for their children or pursue a different hobby. As a result, many individuals now look for flexible positions rather than settling for a 9 to 5 job.

3). Employees Value Their Time More than Ever Employees once didn’t think much about what they were worth to a company or what their job meant for them. But, when the pandemic hit, employees suddenly realized how short life was and began to value their time more than ever before.

Overall, employers can no longer attract employees with low wages and no benefits. This has made it difficult to attract new hospitality workers to replace those who never returned from furlough.

How to Overcome Difficult Post-COVID Hiring Trends

Although hiring post-COVID is more difficult, some methods can be employed to help a hotel survive with a pool of few to no job applicants.

4). Hire Contract Employees While it was common to have in-house cleaning staff before the pandemic, many hotels have looked to contract employees for these same jobs post-pandemic. Contract employees are employed by other, larger companies giving them the flexibility and benefits they require to keep them employed, reducing the stress on a property manager to do this independently. This gives the property flexibility with how many employees they need and ability to adjust based on demand.

5). Cross Train Employees Most hotels used to employ both a receptionist and a concierge. However, post-pandemic, when facing a lack of applicants, many properties have elected to cross-train existing employees to perform multiple jobs.

6). Use Technology As the world becomes more accepting of technology, many companies have used AI and other programs to replace the staff they cannot hire. Examples include automated check-in, bots to request housekeeping service, and more.

Ready to Overcome Difficult Hiring Trends?

No matter what hiring trends are plaguing your property, it is time to look at alternatives to continuing to struggle to hire.

A good place to start is by contracting out your cleaning. Contact us today today to book our highly trained cleaning specialists to help keep your hotel looking its best!