In January alone, leading hospitality job board Caterer.com received 1.6 million visits to the site; an increase from 1.2 million for the same month in 2013. For hospitality employers, this can only mean one thing – the battle for talent is getting tougher than ever.
At a recent Caterer.com event, almost 100 hospitality employers from all sectors gathered to look ahead together at 2014. As guests enjoyed the free flowing Prosecco and canapés at little Italy in Soho, talk turned to the successes of the past year and the plans that employers are making to adjust recruitment strategies as the economic recovery continues. One point that everyone appeared to agree on was that as the market picks up, the job market will begin to move in earnest and employers will find it harder still to attract and hold on to top talent.
Neil Pattison, Sales Director of Caterer.com commented:
“2014 is shaping up to be a landmark year for the hospitality sector. There are already strong signs of market recovery and this is having an impact on the movement of candidates in the sector. In January alone, Caterer.com had 1.6 million visits to the site; an increase from 1.2 million for the same month in 2013. This increase in candidate activity is only the start and is already having an impact on the recruitment strategies of our clients.”
For HR professionals in particular, the focus is now on managing robust recruitment and retention strategies that keep ahead of candidate movement. Caterer.com supports employers in doing this, helping them deliver on their recruitment strategies through effective products and by offering them free and insightful trends reports, research and events. This support assists employers as they work to be employers of choice in the industry.
Being an employer of choice is essential as the challenge to attract and retain the best talent intensifies. Caterer.com’s well established and free to enter Best Employers in Hospitality Awards offer a respected badge of honour for hospitality employers and a place in the shortlist or a category win will be a valuable part of their recruitment armoury. The awards, now in their fourth successful year, are judged by employee responses via a bespoke online survey, provided by employee engagement experts People Insight U. The awards will be open for entries from the end of March and the awards ceremony will take place at Lancaster London on Monday 29th September.
There seems to be no doubt that hospitality HR professionals are set for a busy year ahead and will therefore welcome support in developing their own skills and talents. Industry group HR in hospitality are an organisation designed specifically for this purpose, and Caterer.com are pleased to support them, recently sponsoring the £2,500 HR in Hospitality Career Development Scholarship which was awarded to Natalie Wild HR Manager at Hollins Hall Marriott, Hotel & Country Club. Natalie attended the recent Caterer.com drinks event and spoke alongside Neil Pattison, Sales Director of Caterer.com, on what the award means to her:
“I am very proud to have won the scholarship. It is a fantastic opportunity to support my own personal development whilst doing a job I thoroughly enjoy. I have decided to use the £2,500 scholarship to undertake a top up MA in Human Resources Management will base my research paper on a project that I am working on with Marriott and caterer.com to raise awareness of Culinary Talent to young people in the hospitality industry and continue the thread of the work I already do. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Caterer.com and HR in Hospitality for the award and would encourage others to be nominated for this personal recognition.”
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