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FINDING & KEEPING EMPLOYEES -
RECRUITMENT & RETENTION
With the unemployment rate tracking at
3.9% a 17 year low, the hospitality industry
has been challenged with recruitment and
retention issues like never before. As the
economy improves competition for quality
employees will only become tighter. Every
day I engage with hotel operators and other
C-Suite tourism professionals and the
number one issue I hear is they can’t find
enough employees. The travel industry is
a primary driver of economic growth and
job creation in the United States. Travel
industry related jobs are a top-10 employer
in the US. Unlike jobs in manufacturing or
information technology, travel jobs cannot
be easily outsourced or moved overseas due
to high personal touch and training issues.
Since the Great Recession, the travel
industry created 972,000 jobs through the
middle of 2016 and expanded employment
18 percent faster than the rest of the
economy. Travel industry wages and salaries
also rose 10 percent faster than the overall
private sector over the last five years.
COMPRESSION & COMPETITION
CREATE A CHALLENGING CLIMATE
From 2010 to 2014, the travel industry
created jobs at a faster rate than the rest
of the economy. Since the recovery took
hold in early 2010, the travel industry
has created more jobs than the entire
manufacturing sector. Roughly three in 10
hospitality operators indicate they currently
have job openings that are difficult to fill,
another sign of staffing challenges as the
economy throttles toward full employment.
Adding to this statistic, the hospitality and
food service industry turnover rate typically
averages around 70% due to seasonality and
a younger workforce.
This compression has created a tightening
labor market. Employers are getting creative
in their search for quality labor. To deal with
these challenges, non-traditional search
options are being tapped as well as out-of-
the-box resources.
FINDING EMPLOYEE’S IN NON-
TRADITIONAL PLACES
Human Resources departments have begun
to think outside the box to fill positions.
Traditional labor pools have evaporated as
unemployment continues to shrink and the
job market strengthens.
NON-PROFIT JOB TRAINING
PROGRAMS
Non-Profits are a great place to look for
employees. In fact, people with disabilities
often have special abilities every organization
can use. Els for Autism Foundation offers
supported employment programs and
onsite training geared specifically toward
mentoring employees with Asperger’s and
Autism. There was recently a 60 Minutes
episode on hiring employees with Autism
and how companies are finding their skill
set a huge benefit within their organization.
Programs like this give employees a sense of
independence and purpose.
Goodwill Industries is another great
example of a non-profit with a wide degree
of coaching and retraining programs.
These supported employment programs
help mentor hundreds of employees and
teach them new skill sets. Goodwill helps
education and rehabilitate candidates by
providing stipends for continuing education.
These types of out-of-the-box programs
provide loyal and long-term options for
employers. I have met several success stories
from non-profits who have become loyal
long-term employees and have been grateful
for the chance to contribute. However,
the organizations they joined usually find
themselves the recipient of a most precious
gift.
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