THE FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY EMPLOYMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

HN spoke to Ali Matar, head of LinkedIn Middle East and North Africa, to learn about the latest recruitment trends and obstacles, and find out how disrupting technology is impacting the recruitment process and candidates’ profiles.

How would you assess the regional hospitality careers market?
According to a recent industry talent report released by LinkedIn, employment of hospitality industry professionals in the UAE grew by more than 6.6 percent over the past year. A rise in ultra-personalized guest services and technology-led changes to the physical configuration of hospitality spaces is redefining existing job types within this sector.

Who are the employers with the biggest followings on LinkedIn?
DTCM, Emaar and Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts are the most followed groups on LinkedIn, according to its Industry Talent report.

What are the most recruited jobs and which departments continuously need new recruits?
According to a study by LinkedIn and Strategy&’s Ideation Center, digitization is disrupting the current job types and hence digital jobs will be the need of the hour. From a hospitality perspective, the most-sought after skills in this industry are pertaining to hospitality management, hotel management and pre-opening skills – jobs that require these skills are most recruited.

Which segments suffer from shortages?
LinkedIn cannot directly comment on shortages, however, in the past year, segments such as F&B, real estate and retail have seen professionals moving out of UAE’s hospitality industry.

How is the emergence of technology affecting recruitment in the region’s hospitality industry?
Authentic experiences, empowered by technology, and smart hotels that offer bespoke and personalized benefits, based on customer buying behavior, are slowly shaping recruitment in the hospitality industry. For example, data scientists, who mine and analyze data on consumer behavior.

Will there be new jobs created following the emergence of technology?
Technology will drive the evolution across operations as associates shift from micro-tasking to multi-tasking, transitioning to multi-function roles. Data applications will also transform the traditional ‘yield manager’ role and could be replaced by data scientists.

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