Between Brexit and pandemic-related staffing shortages, hospitality businesses have had to reconsider their approach to recruitment.
Whilst over-50s only made up less than a fifth of the hospitality workforce before 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics, demographics may be shifting in the industry.
As many individuals in the wider workforce reconsider their careers, older workers who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic may consider a career in hospitality instead.
But why is hospitality such a great industry for older workers?
What is causing a demographic shift in hospitality?
Though younger workers were hit the hardest during the pandemic, older workers aged 50 and over have also been badly impacted.
From December 2020 to February 2021, employees aged 50 years and over were more likely to report fewer working hours than usual (or none at all) due to coronavirus.
CIPD research has also indicated that hospitality is still, by all accounts, ‘bottom heavy’ when it comes to the average age in the industry, with an average age of 35 and only 20.5% of workers being over the age of 50.
Generally, hospitality has been considered an employer of younger workers, yet it also frequently faces challenges with skills and talent shortages.
For hospitality businesses to be able to widen their talent pool, they’ll have to consider the benefits of having older workers join the industry - but what are the benefits for older workers looking to join hospitality?
Flexibility
Flexible shift patterns are often part and parcel of a hospitality role, and as we’ve discussed in a previous blog post about the skills gap in the industry, hospitality is more candidate-driven than ever before.
This means that for older workers looking to enter the industry, there is a greater focus on employee benefits and satisfaction.
One of the many changes to adapt to the candidate-driven market is a focus on flexible working hours and shift patterns.
According to research by The Centre for Ageing Better, older workers look for employment that is flexible and supportive of work-life balance.
Since health and family are key considerations of older workers, flexibility is high on the agenda because it allows adjustments to accommodate health needs, or care responsibilities.
The opportunity to have a job that doesn’t have rigid hours, or that can be part-time, means that older workers can find fulfilment in their work in a way that fits their lifestyle and responsibilities.
The social element
Few jobs are quite as sociable as hospitality, and in such a heavily customer-facing industry, hospitality employees will often be meeting and interacting with a variety of people during their working day.
Employment that is sociable was another factor that was considered to be important to older workers, with older workers finding higher levels of motivation and engagement when their work is varied.
A common reason that older workers may have for wanting to continue working is the social, collaborative element, whether with a team or members of the public.
In this sense, hospitality is the ideal career, simply due to the variety of social interactions with individuals from a wealth of backgrounds, and of different ages.
Whilst widening the talent pool for older workers is beneficial to the industry from a diversity perspective, it is also beneficial to older workers in terms of the diversity of experience.
The hospitality industry has been named one of the most sociable industries in the past, with a survey finding that many people in hospitality consider themselves sociable at work and that many in the industry will spend time outside of work with their colleagues.
Long story short, for older workers looking to find fulfilment in meeting new people and making strong connections through work, hospitality is a great option.
Training and career development opportunities
The opportunity to have fair access to career development and training is highly important for many older workers looking to develop their skillset and progress.
Many hospitality roles will include informal or vocational training, particularly in areas that older workers may be apprehensive about or highly interested in (e.g. ICT).
Hospitality has a culture of continuous training and learning embedded into many roles due to the ever-changing nature of the technology that is used to support roles.
Additionally, if an older worker is looking to join the industry for the first time, there is often a clearly defined path of progression to follow.
This can provide peace of mind for older workers as it means they know what to expect and how to rise in their role, rather than feeling as though they are simply in a temporary or stagnant role.
There’s a high demand
When it comes to the wealth of experience each older worker will have, it’s no surprise that they could be considered such a valuable asset to any hospitality business.
From soft and hard skills to experience and personal drive, older workers might be the key to the hospitality industry’s woes around skills and talent shortages.
In other words, older workers are in high demand due to being a critical asset.
More importantly, however, older workers are in a great position to seek work from hospitality businesses that match their goals for a job and workplace – flexibility, maximised social contact, organisational values, inclusive culture, training and development – which means that the ideal role could be around the corner!
We’re striving to make hospitality a more diverse and inclusive space
The team at Talent Hive come from many different backgrounds and have a variety of experience in hospitality, making us passionate about the industry and the people in it.
We want to help people find their dream hospitality role so that they can love the industry just as much as we do!
Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help.