Hotel industry-Stakeholders reflect on retention and labour shortage |02 May 2007

Those involved in the brainstorming discussion included government representatives from the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the departments of Youth and Tourism, as well representatives of labour organisations in the country.

Representatives of hotels, the sector at the core of the problem, were also present at the half day conference, which took place in the conference room of the Seychelles Marketing Board’s (SMB) head office on Latanier road. 

While officially launching the debate, the Minister for Employment and Social Affairs Marie-Pierre Lloyd said that the subject of retention and labour shortage in the hotel industry “is one of the most critical factors to be addressed in order to improve and expand tourism in the country and its significance in the economy”.

She pointed out that the topic is of great relevance, since “besides being the mainstay of our economy, tourism employs 20% of our workforce, making it the largest sector in terms of employment”.

Nonetheless, the minister noted, “there’s still an increasing demand for human resources within the industry”, adding that an estimated additional 2000 or so persons will require training over the next three years.

Expanding on the subject of retention of workers within the hotel industry, Minister Lloyd said that there are various factors which prevent graduates from SHTTC (Seychelles Hotel and Tourism Training College) from joining and remaining in the tourism industry, listing “dissatisfaction with wages, unsocial working hours, medical reasons, lack of career path and lack of further training, amongst many others” as some of the main reasons.

She said that presently the SHTTC is functioning at its maximum capacity, with a student population of 310 full-time scholars and 80 apprentices, “yet it is not certain whether upon graduating they will take up a career in the tourism industry”.

To illustrate her case, she noted that in 2005 and 2006, only 65.4% of SHTTC graduates were absorbed by the tourism industry. “The other 34.6 percent is either employed in non-tourism establishments or is unemployed,” she said.
“It is evident we have a major challenge in front of us,” she said to conclude, “I therefore invite you to look critically at the situation and come up with innovative and creative recommendations to find sustainable solutions to address this challenge”.

Among the guests to also address those present at the opening ceremony of the brainstorming workshop was the executive secretary of the Association of Seychelles Employers, Gilbert Beaudoin and the secretary general of the Federation of Workers Union, Antoine Robinson.