east valley
Volume 3 Issue 49 Mesa, AZ
June 20, 2021
As guests return, resorts hunt for workers BY KRISTINE CANNON Tribune Staff Writer
A
s COVID-19 mandates lift, Valley resorts are gradually seeing occupancy rates go up week-over-
IN THE BIZ
week. But while their restaurants and pools are hosting crowds not seen since prepandemic times, resorts are facing quite the opposite situation behind the scenes: a shortage of staff. On Wednesday, June 23, the Arizona Office of Tourism is partnering with career development organizations Pipeline AZ and ARIZONA@WORK to launch a new initiative connecting jobseekers with thousands of career opportunities available right now across Arizona’s tourism and hospitality industry. The partnership will kick off with an Arizona Tourism Virtual Hiring Event on Wednesday, June 23. Job seekers can get information on hiring, benefits packages and potential hiring bonuses from participating employers including Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Xanterra and the Salt River Indian Community’s Talking Stick Entertainment District. “The great news is that people are coming to enjoy all the great attractions in the Talking Stick Entertainment District,” said Blessing McAnlis-Vasquez from the Salt River Indian Community. “Fortunately, increased visitors also create more jobs, so participating in this Public Notices ............... page 2 © Copyright, 2021 East Valley Tribune
event is a perfect way to help promote our positions available now.” Added Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism: “It’s clear that strong demand has returned for Arizona vacations. Currently, many of our hotels and resorts aren’t able to fill to capacity because of staffing challenges. Our new tourism and hospitality workforce development efforts are designed to fill that gap.” Employers can register to be matched with eligible candidates and job seekers can register to participate in the June 23 event at AZTourismJobs.com. The site also provides a wide variety of resources all in one place such as connecting people to open jobs, skills assessments, help with resumes and interviews. Mary Foote, director of Pipeline AZ, an initiative of the Partnership for Economic Innovation, said, “Creating a job seeker profile and registering for the upcoming virtual hiring event is a great way to learn more about possible tourism and hospitality career paths.” Thousands of jobs are available right now, from management and sales positions to concierge, valet, front-desk managers, housekeeping, maintenance and food prep positions. Pipeline AZ connects the entire workforce ecosystem, serving the needs of hospitality and tourism businesses, job seekers, educators and workforce organizations simultaneously through its platform. (USPS 004-616) is published weekly
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“As one of the hardest-hit during the pandemic, Arizona’s tourism and hospitality industry continues to work toward recovery, with rehiring workers being a top priority,” Johnson added. Shane Sarlo, Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa Resort manager, said getting furlough employees back on the job has been a challenge. At one point, Sarlo said, Sanctuary went from more than 400 employees to fewer than 30. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Arizona hotels shed more than 25 percent of their employees last year, with job losses across local hotels totaling more than 15,000. By the end of this year, however, AHLA estimates that the total number of hotel employees will rise a few thousand, from 43,445 people in 2020 to 46,037 – well below the 2019 total of almost 59,000 workers. AHLA said Arizona’s 2021 projected losses in hotel workers, compared to 2019, will be the 13th highest in the nation. “Hotels were one of the first industries affected by the pandemic after travel was forced to a virtual halt in early 2020, and it will be one of the last to recover,” AHLA’s report states. Overall, AHLA predicts that hotels will add 200,000 direct hotel operations jobs in 2021 but will remain nearly 500,000 jobs below the industry’s pre-pandemic employment level of 2.3 million employSubscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.
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