Recruitment: hospitality-catering faced with a shortage of applications

While recruitment opportunities are good and should remain so thanks to growth of tourism on the international scene, industry professionals have difficulty recruiting personnel who meet their needs. There is thus a shortage of perspective employees, but contrary to popular belief young people are disenchanted by the pace of the lifestyle that these jobs implicate. This is what results from a survey of French professionals by Hospitality-ON with Olakala reveals.

"Today, there is a gap between positions available and the number of applicants on the French hospitality job market, due to a real lack of awareness about the jobs and training available in the sector... there is a need to revalorize industry professions, where perspectives are good," declared Bruno Croiset, Employment director for Accor in France, in an interview with Hospitality-ON. Sector professionals run into difficulties hiring personnel adapted to the operations of their properties, as may be observed in results from a survey by Hospitality-ON with Olakala.

Hoteliers interviewed reveal the lack of applicants -qualified ones in particular- on the market. According to 45% of them, the industry does not have enough applicants with respect to the number of job openings, and according to 49% of those surveyed these applicants lack qualifications. The lack of experience of job applicants and their expectations for high salaries also slow recruitment according to more than one third of the survey's respondents. Finally, only 7% say they had no difficulties in the recruitment process. The areas where the sector is having the most difficulty hiring are primarily field jobs: housekeeper, receptionist, waiter, and cook are the most frequently mentioned. In terms of hiring criteria, hoteliers are looking for availability, adaptability, motivation and professionalism of applicants in addition to experience and qualifications.

Hoteliers interviewed reveal the lack of applicants -qualified ones in particular- on the market. According to 45% of them, the industry does not have enough applicants with respect to the number of job openings, and according to 49% of those surveyed these applicants lack qualifications. The lack of experience of job applicants and their expectations for high salaries also slow recruitment according to more than one third of the survey's respondents. Finally, only 7% say they had no difficulties in the recruitment process. The areas where the sector is having the most difficulty hiring are primarily field jobs: housekeeper, receptionist, waiter, and cook are the most frequently mentioned. In terms of hiring criteria, hoteliers are looking for availability, adaptability, motivation and professionalism of applicants in addition to experience and qualifications.