Increased competition for hospitality jobs

Increased competition for Hospitality jobs

A recent report by the Caterer.com and People 1st shows an increase of 17% in hospitality job applications whilst the number of jobs remain the same with just over 1,000,000 in the quarter.

This increase in application can be seen across the country but mainly in the following areas: 35% in London 43% in the North West 71% in Scotland 114% in Wales.

The report also contains specific analysis of the hotel sector, where applications averaged 62 per job across Hotel Management, Housekeeping, Porter, Reception - Concierge and Reservations Manager roles.

The increase in applications however doesn't resolve the on-going issue of skill shortages in the hospitality industry. This is due to the fact that 1/5 of the hotel workforce will leave every year.

Although the level of competition for roles has risen within hotels, so has the proportion of hotel employers reporting that they have vacancies, hard-to-fill vacancies and skills shortage vacancies, illustrating that few people stay in the industry long term.

Ian Burke, Website Director, Caterer.com, commented: “Whilst industry skills shortages make life difficult for employers, they can position themselves to ensure that they recruit and retain staff that fit their desired profile. The question for hospitality employers now is how to attract and

retain the most relevant candidates. There is none simple solution, but a key component is to have a strong and meaningful employer brand, something which an increasing number of hospitality employers are successfully embracing.”

Here's 7 reasons why hospitality is for you Asking the person next to you where they want to be right at this moment in time may give answers like on a beach, in a hot, sunny country or a spa; relaxing in a bath of, well, mud. Everybody’s different and some may tell you that the allure of a good hospitality job is too much to turn down. Pleasure is always a good mix with business after all. What a business it is, after all. Working in hospitality is globally recognised as important, we’re always in need of hotels, bars, restaurants, cafés, cruises ships, pubs etc in the modern way of life. Hospitality workers are pretty much implemented into how we live socially. Also, being in one of the most recognised careers globally probably has something to do with the hundreds of millions of jobs that hospitality offers each year. So, why should you be in hospitality you wonder?

Read our blog and maybe you’ll find that hospitality is actually for you.

Job security a worry? Never: As long as humans don’t develop the technology to turn our stomachs into a robotic network, people will always need to eat and drink. A lot of those on business trips will also need a place to stay, so a hotel is required. Job security in the hospitality industry is quite secure, as an employee you’ll always be needed and having experience is more valuable than we can say.

Jobs in the sector are useful, as they can help improve social skills and customer service, two things we need to develop happy, functional relationships.

Happiness is part of the job: Whether you become a receptionist, a spa therapist, a waiter or even a cleaner, every time you have a come into contact with a guest you always have an opportunity to make someone happy.

It could be something very small and seemingly insignificant, or it can be a big step, going beyond call of duty to make that person feel extra special. Either way, your job is a people’s job and you are a people’s person. You’re not in the industry to produce spreadsheets or sit in an office 9-5, your job it is to do whatever you can to make people happy. Is there a better calling in

life? Well, besides becoming a footballer, where you kick a ball around for a bit and people clap you a lot, but we don’t feel that’s a common thing to happen.

Creativity is rich: A product is always being created in hospitality. Now, this may be something as small as a drink, a meal or even more, yet it doesn’t matter about the magnitude, it matters about the experience.

You can always find a new way of making a product more enjoyable for your customers. In fact, encouragement to do so is vital for customer service levels (getting things right the first time is the way you bring customers back). It gives a sense of accomplishment and pride to staff when they know they’ve given good service, which will encourage them to do more.

Waiter by day, world traveller by night...

Every city in the world partakes in hospitality every single day. Clearly some more than others are more famous for their consistent hospitality efforts, but you are bound to find a restaurant and a hotel pretty much anywhere you want to travel in this day and age. Hospitality offers travellers the chance to meet wonderful people, explore new avenues of life i.e. life experiences, cultures, traditions etc and the best opportunity to find yourself as a person, developing your horizons and your scope on life. There isn’t a better way to develop your understanding of the world than to go out and experience it firsthand. Pack your bags and become a globetrotter.

9 to 5? Hardly.

If the daily grind of 9-5 sounds like your cup of tea, then we’re sorry to tell you that you’re in the wrong industry. Hospitality is famous for its levels of variety. Every day is a new one and with it comes an unpredictable experience. Okay, the hours may be a little crazy some days, but this

isn’t a regular thing, a busy business means busy hours. Everybody knows that there’s something special about a busy hotel; the energy is vibrant and you can pick up on it almost instantly. A team working together, achieving common goals and pleasing guests around you produces a feeling that never gets old. Being proud of your work is a fantastic feeling that gives you the highest sense of happiness. Even if you get put forward for a 16 hour shift, you’ll be earning valuable experience, you’ll be providing a good service, you’ll possibly get quite a bit of extra money earning tips and you’ll be motivated to continue the tradition of good service.

It’s really not so hard to advance…

Advancing in a massive corporation can sometimes seem impossible. Going unnoticed by management even though you’re doing a great job is often demotivating for many but not with hospitality. As you’re front of house you’re getting noticed on every little action. Customers can make positive comments to you for your service or even to your manager, which is something of great oomph to your career ladder. If you’re motivating others, gaining qualifications, getting along with colleagues and impressing guests, sooner or later you’ll find yourself in a supervisor role, even in management in no time! You get out of it what you put in. Give good performances and you’ll reap the rewards.

You don’t need to ever get stuck.

We’ve just told you how to move up, but what about horizontally? Accepting a position that you come to find isn’t for you can happen to us all, yet in hospitality you don’t have to be stuck in an unhappy job for months and sometimes years. Switching to one of the many other posts available in hospitality is easy; you can always be a chef, a waiter, bar staff and more! When you find the job for you, you’ll know. This is what you want to do in life. It’s what you wanted. The feeling is priceless, sort of like finding money down the back of the sofa.

Now, if you are reading this and considering getting into hospitality, we feel the need to be completely upfront and honest. We may have painted a somewhat romantic picture of the hospitality industry. And for the most part it can be like that. But the truth is, you can find yourself being an abused, overworked new age slave in a grimy dish pit in who knows what hotel. Yes, some hospitality fairy tales turn out to be nightmares. In fact, there is a group on facebook dedicated to its hate for the hospitality industry, currently over 22,000 members strong. But well, you can't please them all.

Now, these 10 reasons have been great to think about, but there are so many more. Alright, not all jobs are going to be like working with the great staff members in the universe, doing the

easiest job ever and everybody loving you for it, but if you’re considering getting into hospitality, you really should do it now. Visit our hospitality jobs section and begin to apply!

Hospitality job applications on the increase

Hospitality jobs are in high demand, according to new research. The latest Hospitality Employment Index report from Caterer.com and People 1st showed that there has been a 17 per cent increase in applications for hospitality jobs and the figure doesn’t seem to be slowing.

The results across the UK were pretty consistent, providing an indication that there’s been a rise in people attempting to boost their career development in the hospitality sector accordingly.

In the north-west alone, applications rose sharply by 43 per cent, almost reaching half of the previous research, while London recorded an increase of 35 per cent.

Scotland saw a huge rise of 71 per cent, just trailing slightly behind Wales, who saw an even better rise with a humungous 114 per cent rise in applications.

Brian Wisdom, chief executive of People 1st, said that skills shortages continue to be a problem in the sector.

He said: "Despite these high levels of competition, some businesses still struggle to recruit people with the skills and personalities they need. Within the hotel industry, not only does this affect overall productivity levels but it also has a knock-on effect to labour turnover.

"This results in an ongoing need to replace staff who lack the motivation and commitment to remain with the company for a prolonged period."

Skill shortages are not the only problematic thing in the hospitality sector. Research by jobs board jobs.ac.uk showed that 30 per cent of organisations found it tough to source new talent over the past year.

Find more hospitality jobs on our site.