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UAE jobs: Hotels hiring ahead of Expo 2020 Dubai rush

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Photo: Wam

Photo: Wam

Dubai - Last week, authorities eased restrictions for some sectors amid a fall in new Covid-19 cases in the country.

Published: Mon 16 Aug 2021, 5:42 PM

Hotels in the UAE are rehiring after UAE authorities increased their operational capacity to 100 per cent ahead of the Expo 2020 Dubai rush.

Local hoteliers told Khaleej Times that most of the hiring is taking place locally due to visa and travel restrictions. Due to restrictions on flights from the Indian subcontinent and other countries, which are the main source of manpower for the UAE’s private sector, hotels and catering firms are looking at alternative markets to meet their need for human resources.

Last week, the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) eased restrictions for some sectors — including hotels, F&B, MICE and public transport — amid a fall in new Covid-19 cases in the country.

Sahil Thakur, director of sales and marketing at Revier Hotel, said hotels are anticipating the start of a busy season by the end of next month.

“We can see that the job market is opening up again and hotels are looking forward to rehiring staff. This will be relative to the business demand in the city, which we all expect to grow in coming weeks now that borders are opening up and restrictions are being eased,” he said.

He pointed out that hiring is still being done within the UAE, as many countries fall under the red list and it’s not possible to import manpower from such places.

“Hotels will surely turn towards these traditional markets once the Covid-19 protocol is changed and people are allowed to travel into the UAE.”

James Wrenn, associate director for hospitality consultancy services at Colliers Mena, said the initiative to operate at full capacity was welcomed, particularly by resort properties, which continued to show strong demand during the the pandemic — especially from the domestic market. However, more corporate-focused hotels have lagged in terms of recovery.

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“On the staffing side in 2020 and coming into 2021, due to reduced demand and operating constraints, many hotels were forced to reduce headcount — especially those properties that traditionally focused on the business or corporate market," he said.

"However, many properties were able to retain staff through extended leave programmes and other efforts, in order to keep staff in employment and to safeguard their availability for when the recovery started. On the whole, Dubai does not appear to be having the types of staffing shortages currently being experienced by hotels in North America and Europe,” he added.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com



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