'Hospitality industry faces talent crunch, to add 1 mn jobs in few years'

The hospitality industry is expected to add around 1 million jobs in the next few years as the sector is grappling with huge shortage of talent amid rapid expansion after the Covid-19 pandemic, say experts.

The current demand-supply gap of talent in the industry stands at around 55-60 per cent, indicating a substantial mismatch between the needs and the available talent pool, Randstad India Director, Professional Talent Solutions, Sanjay Shetty told PTI.

Issues related to talent shortage was fuelled by the post-pandemic boom in demand, Shetty said, adding that the the momentum is expected to continue in the next few years with at least a million jobs being created.

According to industry leaders, the overall hiring has more than quadrupled post-Covid with entry-level positions emerging as the most sought-after in the past two years.

Some companies are upskilling existing talent or recruiting from other industries to fill the void, while others have intensified efforts to attract and