Global Recruitment Trends

Born and raised in France and Spain, Hosco CEO Olivier Bracard comes from a long line of hoteliers in Europe’s Balearic islands. After graduating from a hospitality school in 2007, he worked as a real estate advisor before his vision for Hosco sparked to life in 2011.

He had the idea to create a company that could be a strong ally to both talent and employers in the hospitality industry by creating a centralized network to connect with each other.

Hosco is widely recognized in the international hospitality world, with jobs and partners such as Le Cordon Bleu in over 80 countries globally.

What is your overview of the recruitment market at the close of 2021?

“It’s important to note that hospitality is one of the biggest job creators on the planet. In the five years before covid, 1 out of 4 jobs on the planet were added in our industry.

After a painful 18 months for our industry on a global scale, we are starting to see a recovery. In the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2021, we saw a robust surge in demand from employers. However, varying restrictions and political realities from country to country has made this quite uneven and the talent deficit is still a major problem for certain markets, such as in France and the UK.”

Following the pandemic, have your clients changed how they look for people and how they understand the market?

“In markets where there is a talent deficit, companies are really starting to feel the consequences. There are many F&B establishments that are closed not because of restrictions but simply that they cannot find enough staff to open.

The pandemic might have the positive effect of pushing companies to more closely consider talent and reconsider the industry in general as a place to work. We have to create a positive contrast between hospitality and the industries our talent is leaking to.

What should businesses be looking into in terms of their job offers to help recruitment?

“Companies must make the industry an attractive place to work for employees. Whether that be better working conditions, increased salaries, opportunities for advancement, or a combination of many things, they must change their policies to attract and retain talent.

During the pandemic, the world in general became more conscious of how essential the workers in our industry are, so it is crucial for companies to reflect this new understanding of value when they are recruiting potential employees. There must be an industry-wide recalibration towards making the hospitality journey as exciting for staff as it is for guests.”

What are the trends we can expect for 2022 in the travel and tourism market?

"The key drivers of the hospitality and tourism industry, such as demographics, buying power, and technology, are still on the rise. If you look at it from a fundamental level, the future for the industry is bright, so in 2022 I expect us to be back to pre-Covid numbers and beyond.

One of the major challenges we face is with sustainability. The dialogue around this issue has rapidly evolved in recent years, and so I believe our industry needs to be able to evolve as well, to make hospitality more sustainable."

What are the pandemic learnings for the recruitment industry?

"I think the biggest thing we’ve learned from the pandemic is how important adaptability is to succeed in our industry. It's always been key to success in hospitality, but Covid has forced everyone to adapt in some way, and those who were slow or unable have had an extremely rough time.

A good example of this is how many hospitality schools, like Le Cordon Bleu, were able to adapt and create online course offerings that will now help them generate even more diverse learning experiences as classes return face-to-face. Restaurants that immediately shifted to a take-out system during the lockdowns of 2020 were able to stay afloat and even expand, while many establishments who didn’t have now closed their doors.

Another big takeaway from the pandemic was how vital the workforce is to this industry. Now, you have more potential employees understanding the true worth of their historically undervalued work. This means that companies must adapt to this new reality and update their recruitment policies in order to attract more stable, long-term talent to the industry.

Hospitality has the potential to remain the most amazing, exciting destination for talent, but everyone has a role to play on this journey. "

Join the Commanderie des Cordons Bleus on Hosco.