OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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The labor shortage in the hospitality industry is significant and is impacting the industry's ability to grow and serve customers. In 2016, OSU's hospitality management degree faculty and students began researching this vital issue. Our research continues to expand and, after presenting our results at several conferences, we are now focused our energy on the solutions to this challenge. One of those solutions is the development of the RAAR Sustainable Workforce Model. We have several new studies coming out in 2019 and 2020.
"Employers want soft skills and it seems to be a skill that is disappearing in the workforce."
Trying to retain employees is not a new concept. However, in the labor shortage era, companies are applying innovative best practices to retain their best employees. Our program received a grant from Travel Oregon and ORLA Education Foundation to identify some of these innovative best practices. You can see our results here.
Given the massive labor leak, the service industry must attract talent from outside the industry. In 2018, we conducted a study to measure perceptions of the service industry as a career destination. The results were not encouraging with only 24% of respondents indicating they would even consider a career in the service industry.
Low unemployment, low interest rates and new advancements in affordable technology are allowing companies to automate job tasks at an unprecedented rate. The future of work in the service is changing as a result. Our program is highlighting these companies and technologies across the globe. You can view our 2019 Automation in Europe here.
Unfortunately there are jobs where employees cannot be retained or acquired and the technology to do those jobs is not yet available. In these instances, our studies have found that Rapid Retraining that is both cost-effective, timely and impactful is the only option.
