HUMAN CAPITAL CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS WITHIN THE HOTEL SECTOR.

Human resources represent a significant challenge for hotel executives striving for operational efficiency (Enz 2001, 2009) and have long been a focal point of research among scholars in tourism and hospitality (Baum, 2007, 2015; Baum & Szivas, 2008; Guerrier & Deery, 1998). Notably, labor shortages have emerged as the most persistent issue for hotels across nearly all global regions (Wang, 2009), with approximately 90 percent of the hospitality sector frequently facing under-staffing (Poulston, 2008). These ongoing challenges related to human capital may stem from the prevalent employment of young, female, and unskilled or semi-skilled workers, which poses specific difficulties in workforce management within the tourism and hospitality industry (Kusluvan et al., 2010).