Dive Brief:

  • Hilton will partner with non-profit Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) to introduce young adults to a range of careers in the hospitality industry, including culinary arts, technology, sales, engineering and finance, according to a Jan. 27 announcement.
  • Hilton said that the travel and tourism sector will create 25% of the world's new jobs during the next decade. To further this growth, Hilton will invest in "new strategies and partnerships to help fill the hospitality industry talent pipeline and equip young people with the range of skills needed to succeed in today's complex marketplace."
  • The hotel has begun its work in partnering with JAG. Programs include mock interviews, hotel tours, mentoring and skills training, career shadowing and connecting participants with hotel management for real-world career experience, said Hilton. 

Dive Insight:

The tight labor market and skill insufficiencies have pushed talent acquisition to the top of HR's priorities in 2020. Broadening the talent pipeline and tapping into such nontraditional groups of would-be hires, such as young adults facing societal barriers is a recruiting strategy many employers appear to be pursuing.

Employers have also turned to job fairs as another strategy for tapping into more talent pools. These programs aren't a new concept in hiring, but digital job fairs, such as the National Youth #HiringDay, come as updated versions of an old recruiting practice, with online applications and one-on-one text support to guide applicants through the recruiting and interview process.

Speakers at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Talent Forward in October laid out three issues employers can expect to face when dealing with the future of talent pipelines: 

  • The digital skills gap may be the largest of all skills gaps.
  • Employers can't ignore social issues in recruiting.
  • Reskilling may be a never-ending responsibility for building and maintaining a workforce.