Competition stiff to work in hospitality profession

Ashley Yonamine is only 18, but the University of Hawaii hospitality major has already completed 800 hours of internships to give her a leg up on her post-­graduation job search, even though it’s still several years away.

"You need experience to get anywhere," said Yona­mine, who was networking Thursday at a 2013 Student Forum offered by the Hawaii Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association. "You can’t even get your foot in the door without an internship, and it’s very competitive even at that level."

Yonamine, who came to Oahu to attend the UH’s School of Travel Industry Management, was enthusiastic about potential visitor industry opportunities after returning from a five-month Disney internship in Florida. She also knows how competitive it can be. She sent out 75 resumes before landing the Disney internship.

"I think the job market is as good as it’s going to be and that we can better our odds by working on improving ourselves," Yona­mine said.

Based on current economic data, she couldn’t be more right.

While the job market for Hawaii’s visitor industry grew faster than the overall economy this year, it’s still below its peak and is not expected to grow as fast in the coming years.

"The peak was actually at the end of 2006 and the very beginning of 2007 when there were 39,500 accommodations jobs. Today, as of the second quarter, there are 38,232. We’re also short of the previous peak, which was 41,200 jobs in the second quarter of 1992," said Carl Bonham, executive director of UHERO, the economic research organization at the University of Hawaii.

Hotels have shed jobs as they’ve converted some rooms into time shares and condominiums.

"We don’t expect the industry to stop hiring, but we do expect the added jobs to be fewer than they have in the recovery period. Slower growth in spending and arrivals will lead to slower growth in job creation," Bonham said.

"If you ask hoteliers, they probably don’t plan to add a lot of jobs. They are looking for ways to do more with the same number of people," Bonham said.

Hotel applicants with an understanding of finance, revenue management, technology and languages are most in demand, said Kelly Hoen, general manger of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, a Luxury Collection Resort.

"We are looking for ways that allow us to provide that personal one-on-one guest experience, while using technology to create greater efficiency," Hoen said.

Kawehi Sellers, who teaches hospitality at Kapiolani Community College, tells students to prepare for fierce competition.

"When Hawaiian Airlines had their last flight attendants recruitment, the class size was 60, but they had over 2,000 applicants," Sellers said.

Innovation- and technology-driven jobs might become more prominent in the visitor industry, said Daniel Chun, regional manager of sales and community marketing in Hawaii for Alaska Airlines.

"We are looking for new and creative ideas that turn the industry on its head," said Chun, who was chosen for his position from about 350 applicants nationwide.

In this regard, young graduates might have an advantage, said 20-year-old Danielle Michaud, who is studying hospitality at the University of Hawaii.

"Demand for innovation has made the job market better than it was for a lot of people," Michaud said. "I feel like employers really appreciate the technological skills that college students can bring them."

Hawaii job seekers who are willing to relocate also may find opportunities working for prominent Hawaii hotel brands outside of the islands, said Christy Nakano, director of human resources for JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina Resort & Spa.

"For Marriott there are a lot of entry-level and hourly positions available, but the company is really growing in other countries such as India and China," Nakano said. "We encourage young adults to travel and work wherever they want to go."

Jerry Li, a soon-to-graduate 26-year-old who has worked his way through college at the Sheraton Princess Kaiu­lani, said he’s open to securing a job at home, on the mainland or in Hong Kong.

"I’ve started trying here, but I’m willing to move if it will increase my chances," Li said. "In this market I think it’s good to be flexible."

UHERO has forecast that arrivals will rise 5.5 percent to nearly 8.27 million visitors this year and that spending will increase 7.4 percent to $15.2 billion. The prediction for 2014 is that growth will slow to 2.3 percent for arrivals and 6.4 percent for spending, bringing next year’s totals to nearly 8.5 million visitors who will spend about $16.2 billion.

Bonham expects that other job markets such as construction will offset any coming contraction in visitor industry job growth. Likewise, he said capacity issues could eventually alleviate some hiring pressure by prompting the construction of new hotels.

One thing that’s certain is that Hawaii’s economy will continue to be dependent on tourism. Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO Mike McCartney estimates that Hawaii tourism this year has supported some 186,143 jobs, which is 52,525 more than in 2009, which marked the visitor industry bottom.

"Some places are proud to have mines or an automobile industry; I hope that we are proud that we have visitors that want to come here and learn about Hawaii’s people, places and culture," McCartney said. "Every 47 visitors that come to Hawaii support one job."

In the case of the higher-spending Chinese tourist, it takes only 35 arrivals to support one Hawaii job, he said.

"Proactively, we aren’t just sitting here and trying to continue more of the same," McCartney said. "We are aware that we have to evolve and continue to be competitive in a very competitive world and adjust to find the right balance of visitors for Hawaii. That’s part of the reason that we’ve expanded marketing to Taiwan and other emerging markets. We need to open up more direct-departure cities that will bring people from around the world to Hawaii."