Are older workers a saviour for recruitment problems in the hospitality industry?

Andrew Jenkins

doi:10.24135/hi.v7i2.164

Andrew Jenkins The University of Huddersfield

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24135/hi.v7i2.164

Keywords: Older workers, Hospitality industry employment, Recruitment problems, Implicit Bias Theory

Abstract

This opinion piece discusses the potential for older workers to help alieviate recruitment problems in the hospitality industry. These problems have been made worse by the Covid-19 Pandemic and, in the UK, by Brexit and changes to immigration rules. There are many advantages of employing older workers in the hospitality industry but there is a persistent paradigm that older workers are resistent to change, have higher levels of absenteeism and possess poor IT skills. As many of the issues associated with barriers to the employment of older workers are due to negative stereotying and subtle bias, the author advocates the application of Implicit Bias Theory to uncover and subsequetly help address discrimination against older workers.

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Author Biography

Andrew Jenkins, The University of Huddersfield

Dr Andrew Jenkins is Senior Lecturer in Hospitality and Events Management at the University of Huddersfield. Andrew has a Master of Science degree in Tourism and a doctorate in Human Resource Management from the University of Strathclyde. He is an academic member of the CIPD, a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His research interests include work & employment, older workers, Brexit and Supply Chain Management. He is co-author of 'Introducing Human Resource Management' (8th edition).