SA hospitality industry threatened by deepening human capital crisis - new hoteliers report

While South Africa's hospitality sector is showing signs of strong recovery after the COVID pandemic, a new report points to a worsening human capital crisis in the industry.

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This crisis threatens the stability and future of the hospitality sector, according to the inaugural South African Hoteliers Report from the Hospitality Asset Management Company (HAMAC).

The report reflects an industry struggling with fundamental structural issues including:

• compensation that fails to retain talent
• work intensity that exhausts employees
• limited career progression that leaves ambitious staff with nowhere to go

HAMAC used a structured questionnaire which was shared with senior stakeholders via multiple channels who represent diverse establishments across different regions in South Africa.

It appears that the generation of today has long forgotten what it took to rise up the ladder and expect to just enter into a management position by default, says HAMAC CEO Anton Gillis. As a result, they often have little experience to draw on.

Added to this scenario, is the loss of talent from the country in particular during and after the COVID pandemic, he says.

"We've lost a fortune of talent, particularly during and post-COVID, and only now are we really starting to feel that. Our report went on to show that the youth tend to use this industry just as a stepping stone."

To hear more about the findings of the inaugural South African Hoteliers Report, listen to the interview audio at the top of the article