As Vietnam reopens its borders to tourism, attracting, developing and retaining a high-quality workforce has become the top priority for this industry.
With the reopening of the international borders and the launch of tourism promotion campaigns in Vietnam, hotels, tour operators and support service providers across the country may face a major problem: a shortage of qualified workers.
During the worst period of the pandemic in 2020-2021, many tourism organizations had to reduce their (experienced) workforce. A report from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revealed that tourism companies have reduced their workforce by 70-80% by 2020. By 2021, the number of full-time tourist workers had fallen to 25% of 2020 levels, and about 30% had resigned or had their contracts terminated. These workers have either returned to their original jobs before the tourism and hospitality industry or have found work elsewhere. Now a large number of them are reluctant to return, especially if the salaries offered are low.
The severe imbalance between supply and demand of skilled labor in tourism was a persistent problem even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In reality, pre-COVID stats showed that only 42% of the tourism workforce had some industrial training (vocational or other), while 38% came from other economic sectors and 20% had no training at all.
dr. Nuno F. Ribeiro, Senior Lecturer and Research Cluster Leader Tourism and Hospitality, RMIT University Vietnam
Education and training cooperation
The tourism industry must make a concerted effort to provide incentives to rehabilitate skilled workers, requalify older workers and, above all, invest heavily in training facilities at all levels and develop hospitality schools with internationally recognized curricula.
There is a growing number of budding talent in hospitality schools and universities that are ready to enter the job market at the management level, and the tourism industry should give them a chance by attracting them with higher salaries than usual.
At the government level, it is important to remember that education efforts are included in Vietnam’s tourism development strategy until 2020. Developing human talent in tourism and hospitality is a priority under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the National Administration of Tourism.
Coordination between the government, tourism companies and tourism education institutions is essential to ensure that tourism in Vietnam fully recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the things the government can do is provide tax incentives to private and non-profit organizations that provide training and certifications in tourism and hospitality. Many companies have excellent facilities that lend themselves well to on-the-job training, provided the costs are justified. This would expand the reach of education and qualification efforts in tourism and hospitality in Vietnam, which are still insufficient at present.
Tourism companies that want to (re)train and (re)qualify their employees at all levels can also partner with educational institutions such as universities that offer diplomas in tourism and hospitality, as well as vocational schools and training centers for hospitality. Shared use of facilities, on-site training seminars and workshops, and the provision of undergraduate and postgraduate certifications in tourism and hospitality are all ideas to consider.
Focus on further training
In the new normal for tourism, skills with increasing demand include safety knowledge and excellent people skills, as well as IT and smart tourism knowledge. Smart tourism is becoming a reality and future tourism and hospitality professionals should be prepared to work in that reality.
When it comes to foreign language skills, the obvious focus is on English. But due to the narrowing of the Chinese, Russian and Japanese markets, knowledge of other languages from emerging countries such as Thailand and Malaysia will be sought.
Educational institutions can help meet this demand by offering excellent academic knowledge and practical skills. Universities such as RMIT Vietnam educate the next generation of tourism and hospitality leaders, developing both their theoretical and practical knowledge of the industry, providing them with a solid foundation in business management, financial and marketing acumen, soft skills and English proficiency at the highest level. level.
At the same time, employers can and should invest more in in-house training to upskill and re-qualify their current workforce, but this should be done in addition to other educational efforts. It is important to remember that such in-house training takes a significant amount of resources, which are not abundant for many organizations after such difficult COVID-19 times. Thus, in-house training is a great opportunity to partner and establish partnerships with educational institutions, whether at the public, private or non-profit level.
Tourism career prospects
Tourism and hospitality is one of the largest industries in the world. If history has shown us anything, it is that while tourism crises can occur, they are short-lived and that tourism always recovers faster and stronger than ever. This is what we are experiencing now. At present, the prospects are excellent for those seeking a career in the tourism and hospitality industry as they can choose from jobs provided they are qualified and passionate about the industry.
For young people considering a degree in Tourism and Hospitality, my advice would be to choose a reputable educational organization with internationally recognized standards and curricula, ensure that their foreign language skills are as good as possible (especially English) and their education to be continued at the highest level. A few years ago, a certificate from a one- or two-year vocational training program was enough to guarantee a good job in tourism and hospitality, but today most companies have a strong preference for candidates with a four-year bachelor’s degree. Additional postgraduate training at management level will soon be necessary.
Finally, I would advise young people who are considering a degree in tourism and hospitality, together with academics, to gain as much practical experience as possible through internships, learn-work arrangements, job shadowing, etc., so that they are ready when entering the labor market to meet all the challenges of the future.
Through dr. Nuno F. RibeiroSenior Lecturer and Research Cluster Lead, Tourism and Hospitality Management, RMIT University Vietnam
