Enjoy your meal: Two waiters attending to diners at a restaurant in George Town. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Hotels cannot rely on foreign workers to fill staffing shortages as they are unable to work at the front desk and cannot be assigned to handle guests, says a local hotel director.
G Hotel communications director Christina Tan said although it has become easier to hire foreign workers in the tourism industry, hotels are still facing a shortage of local workers.
“Foreign workers are coming in and it is easier to do the paperwork than before,” she said.
“But the downside to it is that they cannot work at the front desk.
“Foreign workers can only be assigned to do behind-the-scenes work like housekeeping.”
Tan reported that over the past week, they observed a 90% occupancy rate, which is a level not seen since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We struggled because we did not have enough local staff.
“Locals are no longer interested in working in the hospitality industry as it is not stable.
“Even colleges offering these courses have found that the intake has dwindled,” she said.
Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa and Golden Sands Resort communications director Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman said there are still some staffing challenges at the resorts.
“The recruitment situation is not the same as four years ago.
“Penang lacks locals who want to work in the hospitality industry as those who have the experience prefer to move to Langkawi, Singapore and other countries like Dubai and Macau.
“They offer better pay due to the currency exchange.
“So some hotels resort to pinching staff from others but it is normal and can create a healthy environment,” he said.
Suleiman added that although they have enough foreign workers, they could not be assigned to handle guests as per the rules.
“We need skilled people to provide Asian hospitality.
“We hope that something can be done in the form of incentives to encourage more locals to join the tourism industry,” he said.
Meanwhile, restaurants that used robot servers (waiters) during the pandemic have opted to retain the machines but are now reducing their usage as they have enough staff.
Restaurant director Rajaludin Abdul Aziz said robot servers not only made it easier for their workers to carry out other tasks but also ensured that customers received their food fresh from the kitchen.
“Sometimes, the staff are busy with other chores and it takes time for them to deliver food from the kitchen to respective customers.
“With robot servers, this task will be taken care of. We only use these robots during peak hours as they need to be charged in between,” he said.
Rajaludin said hiring foreign workers these days is not too difficult.
“The robot servers complement our staff and make service smoother,” he added.
