Hardly a week goes by without the announcement of a new partnership or expansion plan by an international hotel group in India. And that’s not even counting the ambitions of local groups determined to further expand their footprint. But can the infrastructure — and especially the qualified workforce — keep up with this pace?
We spoke with a key player in training and recruitment in India. He shares both his concerns and the concrete actions already underway to ensure the most effective growth possible.
Natwar Nagar is the founder of The Job Plus and head of the Indian The People Network.
" One may rightfully question the real feasibility of India’s unprecedented hospitality expansion. We are indeed witnessing a seismic transformation. Every announcement by hotel groups — Accor, Radisson, Marriott, Hilton, and their Indian counterparts — reinforces this momentum.
India is no longer on the sidelines: it has become the epicentre of global hospitality growth. Yet, behind this wave of optimism lies a much more complex question: Where will the workforce come from to support this expansion?c"
The challenge: a talent deficit, not a market deficit
Let’s take a closer look at the numbers.
To meet Radisson’s targets alone, the industry will require more than 35,000 skilled hospitality professionals. Add Hilton, Accor, Marriott and others to the equation, and the total need exceeds 200,000 trained talents over the next five years.
However, the current output from hospitality training institutes is not only insufficient but often misaligned with the industry’s real needs — particularly in terms of operational readiness, cultural fluency, and employee retention.
India’s hospitality growth is not just a business opportunity—it is a nation-building opportunity. The real measure of success will not be the number of hotels built, but the lives changed through dignified work, upward mobility, and inclusive growth.
The essential response: building the sector’s human foundation
The targeted initiatives and partnerships led by The Job Plus and The People Network are aimed not only at creating talent pipelines, but at building structured pathways to excellence.
Shikha Patial, senior manager marketing, provides more information on the programmes :
" The Job Plus has responded to the industry’s accelerating capacity growth with a data-driven, regionally inclusive skilling model aimed at building a sustainable hospitality workforce. By actively onboarding youth from underserved regions—including the North-East, Odisha, Telangana, Jammu & Kashmir, and other northern states—the program addresses both geographic and socio-economic gaps in workforce availability.
These candidates typically demonstrate a high drive to work, a pressing need for financial stability, and a strong willingness to learn. By equipping them with highly transferable service skills, the program not only enhances their employability across sectors but also creates a reliable and retention-friendly talent pipeline for employers. This alignment of individual aspiration with industry demand is emerging as a critical enabler of long-term workforce stability in the Indian hospitality ecosystem.
These programs go beyond conventional training to deliver end-to-end workforce solutions: identifying talent at the grassroots, delivering industry-aligned skill development, and ensuring placement across core hospitality functions—F&B Service, Housekeeping, and Guest Relations. Importantly, this workforce is not limited to traditional hotel environments. With the convergence of service excellence across sectors, The Job Plus is deploying trained professionals into facility management firms, premium managed workspaces, and the organized retail sector, where hospitality capabilities are increasingly seen as a competitive advantage.
The program’s gender inclusion metrics are especially notable—achieving over 50% female participation in a sector that has historically struggled with gender parity. This focus on inclusive employability is not only socially impactful but also aligned with evolving ESG benchmarks that global hospitality groups are integrating into their workforce strategies. "
In partnership with recruiting hotel groups and companies, the Recruit–Train–Deploy (RTD) programs prepare underserved youth in just 6 to 8 weeks, ensuring they are service-ready from day one.
Employee retention is improved by embedding soft skills, life skills, and workplace culture directly into the training curriculum.
This model goes beyond simply generating employment: it creates transformative careers. The RTD programs have already trained and placed over 1,800 candidates, many of whom are now thriving in qualified hospitality roles across India.
Beyond recruitment: upskilling and leadership development
While The Job Plus focuses on strengthening the base of the pyramid, The People Network is working to structure its top, identifying and developing future leaders across all levels and functions.
The People Network adapts to the ongoing transformation of Indian hospitality — from resorts to business parks, from co-living to large-scale facilities management. These new leaders must be agile, culturally attuned, and capable of rallying teams with vision and integrity.
Attracting talent from adjacent sectors
Alongside traditional hospitality training pathways, one of the avenues explored to address the talent shortage involves converting generalist profiles from related sectors — such as retail, aviation, and healthcare — into hospitality-ready professionals through bootcamps and structured onboarding.
The task may seem considerable, but it matches the scale of the challenge ahead. The acceleration of India’s economy, the rapid rise of a growing middle and affluent class fuelling the domestic market, and India’s efforts to strengthen its position as a global tourist destination are all fuelling the appetite of hospitality operators and investors.
To avoid a bottleneck in human resources and the unsustainable poaching of skilled personnel, an entire generation must be brought into tourism and hospitality careers—supported by robust and effective training programs.
