Hotels

More hotels are due to be built in 2014. Extra manpower will therefore be required to cope with the need. Despite efforts to address this, the sector continues to face a severe manpower shortage.

A fact sheet released by the government says visitor arrivals to Hong Kong reached a record high of 48.6 million in 2012. Meanwhile, in the first seven months of 2013, arrivals rose by 13.1 per cent over the same period in 2012. More visitors mean the hotel industry is booming, pointing to ample job opportunities.

Many hotel construction projects have begun or will start in the near future. There are expected to be 263 hotels in Hong Kong by the end of 2014, providing 74,484 rooms. Industry job trends will stay positive over the next six months to one year, as more hotels are built and more manpower is needed.

But it is getting harder to find sufficient staff. There is a serious manpower shortage in many positions, including room attendants, stewards and front-office staff. Some hotel HR managers say that they face difficulty hiring the right people - those who have the right attitude and are passionate about the hotel industry.

Kennie Ho, director of the Hospitality and Tourism Faculty, Sino College
As told to Chiu Po-sze