Causes of the shortage of skilled workers in the rural hotel industry

Summary of the study

This study addresses the challenges of skills shortages in the hospitality industry, a sector in which human capital is crucial. A frequently cited reason for this shortage is the poor image of the industry. The research aims to investigate the factors influencing the skills shortage by presenting the perspectives of both employees and employers.
For this study, 232 people, including 128 employees and 104 employers, from the rural hotel industry in northern Italy were interviewed. The data was collected by means of a written, closed online survey using a convenience sampling approach. The Spearman correlation was used to test the hypotheses.

The results show a correlation between the shortage of skilled workers and various factors. These include professional, digital, social and green skills, internal industry characteristics and symbolic image attributes of the industry. The analysis shows that some of these factors are more important for employees, while others play a greater role for employers.
The study derives several practical recommendations for action for the hotel sector from the findings. These include improving working conditions, reducing manual tasks through digital technologies, realistic career planning, employer branding, identifying skills gaps and providing specialized training.

The value and originality of this research lies in the fact that, unlike most previous studies on skills shortages in the hospitality industry, it compares both perspectives, that of the employees and that of the employers. This, together with the consideration of the industry's image, provides a realistic picture of the relevant influencing factors for a rural tourism destination in northern Italy.

Key findings of this study

The study sheds light on the shortage of skilled workers in the rural hotel industry and identifies a clear link with specific factors that can have different effects depending on the perspective (employees or employers):
 

• The skills shortage in the rural hotel industry is directly influenced by a decline in specific professional, digital, social and green skills.
• There is both a shortage of qualified applicants (skill shortages) and skill gaps among existing staff.
• Digital skills, in particular the use of office software, booking and property management systems, as well as social media for business purposes, are often insufficient in the rural hotel industry.
• Green skills (e.g. minimizing environmental impact, sustainability knowledge) influence the skills shortage primarily from the perspective of employers, not employees.
• Social skills such as communication skills, conflict management and foreign language skills are decisive for both groups (employees and employers) when it comes to the attractiveness of applicants.
• Instrumental attributes of employment, such as an appropriate work-life balance, work intensity, good earning potential and social security, are important for reducing the shortage of skilled workers.
• The image of the industry influences the skills shortage, with employees finding socially, environmentally and ethically responsible companies more attractive, while employers often perceive this as a barrier to recruitment.
• The comparability of the perspectives of employees and employers is crucial in order to obtain a realistic picture of the factors influencing the shortage of skilled workers in rural tourism destinations.