Dearth of hospitality talent in Asia-Pacific

MANILA, Philippines — There is an urgent need for talent in the hospitality industry across Asia-Pacific as demand for travel continues to recover, according to international hospitality firm Hilton.

“With travel demand returning at pace, and new hotels are being added to Hilton’s growing portfolio in Asia-Pacific, we see a real and urgent need for talent across all our markets in the region,” Hilton Asia-Pacific vice president for human resources Patsy Ng told The STAR in an email interview.

According to Ng, demand for travel has returned, requiring the need to revitalize the tourism industry.

“Revitalizing the tourism industry continues to be a key priority for governments across the region where tourism makes up a sizable portion of their economy, including in the Philippines,” she said.

“As the fastest-growing hospitality company in the region, we have plans for another record-breaking year of openings. With new hotels added to our growing portfolio, there is a real and urgent need for talent across all our markets in Asia Pacific,” Ng said.

The Hilton official said opportunities exist at all levels, especially frontline roles in operations, housekeeping, kitchen, and F&B, as well as roles in “commercial services and brand marketing positions at the corporate level.’’

Amid the rapid growth of the company in Asia-Pacific, Ng highlighted how it has been able to match this pace with its speed to hire.

“We have achieved this by leveraging industry-leading recruitment technologies, which have been critical in delivering a best-in-class candidate experience within this highly competitive talent landscape,” she said.

While Asia-Pacific’s travel industry has seen rapid recovery with the reopening of borders at the start of the year, Ng pointed out that the region’s hospitality industry, which was severely affected by the pandemic due to the closure of borders, faces challenges in rebuilding its workforce to match the accelerated booking demand.

“We saw an inevitable shift in priorities among team members after having experienced difficulties during the pandemic, especially in terms of the way they work and how their lives could be better integrated with their care,” Ng said, acknowledging that many have also left the industry amid the great resignation.

“Furthermore, we witnessed hospitality workers, as well as hospitality graduates who entered the workforce during the pandemic, making the switch to other industries due to the uncertainties associated with the sector, resulting in a shortage of manpower. This is a global trend we’re seeing that has led to fierce competition for talent,” she said.

Ng also expressed optimism for the Philippine market, citing the recent success of a government-led tourism job fair.

“With the Philippines recognized as one of Asia’s leading destinations, and with the success of the “Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso!” Philippine Tourism Job Fair, there is clear optimism for the hospitality industry in the country, with plenty of opportunities for hospitality talent to meet growing demands,” she said.

Hilton has a total of 48,000 team members in Asia-Pacific across its corporate offices and hotels.

“As the fastest growing hospitality company in Asia Pacific, we are well-positioned to expand our portfolio of hotels across the region in the next few years. We are looking to grow our Asia Pacific workforce in tandem with our growth and will make it a priority to welcome both seasoned and new team members to join us to deliver exceptional experiences to our guests in this new era of travel,” Ng said.