Thai hotels in dire need of staff as tourists flock back
The Thai hotel industry is seeking migrant workers to help relieve staff shortage as millions of tourists have returned to the country.
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), called on the government to relax the existing rules to make it easier for migrant workers to work in the hotel industry to help alleviate the shortage of workforce.
She suggested that the Thai government’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) with neighbouring countries allow more positions in which migrant workers can be hired, easier hiring of migrants, and allow more foreign nationals to work in the hotel industry.
At present, Thailand has MoUs on migrant workers with Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. The THA wants such agreements to cover Indonesia, the Philippines, India and China. Also, the THA urged the government to revise the MoU to allow foreigners to work in the front office, which is now reserved for Thai nationals only.
Industry executives pointed out that hotels are suffering from a severe shortage of staff as many workers who were redundant during the Covid-19 crisis have not come back while Thai tourism is recovering. Several experienced hotel employees now have their own businesses or have taken up new jobs with more flexible work hours. Meanwhile, many young people avoid routine jobs.
Suksit Suvunditkul, president of the THA’s southern chapter, said that as many as 45 per cent of 1,463 hotels in the resort island province of Phuket are experiencing staff shortages.
“Positions in high demand include receptionist, maid, food and beverage staff, maintenance mechanic, and spa therapist,” he said.
In order to help ease the problem, hotels in the South are now attempting to attract short-term trainees (college students), inexperienced workers willing to get training, and former hotel employees, according to the executive.
The MICE industry – which stands for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions – is also in need of staff, as the sector is recovering from the Covid-19 crisis, according to Thamita Chongswatvorakul, director of corporate human resources at Impact Exhibition Management Co Ltd.
She said that as MICE is not popular among young job-seekers, Impact has come up with more flexible employment plans. Some jobs may be project-based while others are outsourced to independent contractors.
