A Study on Human Resources Manpower Requirement for the Tourism Sector in Malaysia 2012
This study identified skills requirements in the Tourism sub-sectors; undertook skills gap analysis; proposed strategic issues and policies for human capital development; and put forth an action plan for meeting human resources requirements in the Tourism sub-sectors. It assessed issues in 5 sub-sectors, viz, Accommodations (covering 1-5 stars hotels, resorts and guest houses); Tourism Services (covering travel agencies, packaging, booking, ticketing and tour guides); Food and Beverages; Transportation Services (covering taxis, rental cars, bus services); and Retail & Attractions (covering entertainment, sightseeing, shopping, gaming). It included an evaluation of the student demographic profile, learning experience and internship programs to enhance courses and education curriculum to match quality manpower output to tourism sub-sector needs. Some findings were that labour competitiveness has improved as reflected in a decline of unit labour cost from 2002 to 2011. But lower earnings for employees from declining unit labour cost may have reduced attractiveness in hiring and retaining talent. Communications and language knowledge were the main generic skills deficiency areas, followed by customer service skills and hospitality procedures as the main technical deficiencies identified..