Wales’ hospitality and tourism businesses need to gear up for growth and upskill their people as the sector is set to expand over the next decade, a major industry report from People 1st reveals.
State of the Nation 2010 produced by the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, highlights that an additional 14,700 jobs including 2,200 managerial jobs will be created in Wales by 2017, rising to 54,800 if replacement demand is also taken into account. The sector is one of Wales’ largest employers, providing work for 86,300 people.
The report – a definitive snapshot of the labour market for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism – also found that the sector is still recruiting with businesses finding it easier to hire staff. In fact, 34 percent of sector businesses in Wales said they have recruited new staff in the 12 months to March 2010. 56 percent of businesses said that the recession had made it easier to retain skilled staff.
Encouragingly, the economic downturn does not appear to have effected the amount of training businesses provide their staff (57 percent of businesses said they offer the same amount in 2010 as in 2009, while 10 percent provided more training). Furthermore, 12 percent said they were likely to increase training spend in the future. However, how training is delivered appears to have been affected with 51 percent moving more training in-house.
The biggest skills gaps cited by employers within the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry in Wales are around management and leadership, customer service, team working, problem solving and communication.
Brian Wisdom, chief executive of People 1st concluded: “The future for hospitality and tourism in Wales is promising. The Ryder Cup in particular should provide the sector with a significant opportunity to market itself on a world stage. However, investment and ongoing professional development is essential to the continued success of the industry. “
