New online resource helps hospitality workers find work
The hospitality industry hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic due to travel restrictions, hotels and restaurants closing down
The coronavirus pandemic has restricted travel and closed hotels.
That's causing major changes to the hospitality industry, and forced the furloughs of tens of thousands of workers both across America and here in the desert southwest.
It’s called the Arizona Hospitality Workforce Connection. This website assists job seekers, in matching them up with a similar opportunity.
“Yuma is such a unique community because we are so tight knit, and we have so many close partners at this time and we are seeing amazing things happen.”
Jennifer McDonald is a Marketing Specialist with Visit Yuma.
The global crisis has hit the hospitality industry hard. Thankfully, help is out there.
The Arizona Office of Tourism has teamed up with local and county agencies to create a website offering almost everything displaced hospitality workers need, including training resources, resume assistance and help filing for unemployment insurance. It can even help them find their next position.
“We have a list of these employers that are urgently hiring so people can quickly go on and find a job that might meet their needs or find a job that might meet their skills that they have from thee hospitality industry. Find a match and get going and get hired.”
Becky Blaine is the Deputy Director for the Arizona Office of Tourism.
“We actually have a lot of call center jobs popping up because more people are having to work from home and can’t be together in a call center. A lot of these companies have moved to letting people work from home, routing the calls thru to them.”
“I think it’s really important for someone who has just been laid off to reach out to their boss and their management at their job they were laid off from. Ask for a recommendation, ask if they have a friend in the community who might be looking to hire people and hire people immediately. There are so many wonderful relationships between business leaders in this community, that we can get people hired quickly and get them working again,” McDonald added.
USTravel.org projects at least 40% of Arizona’s hospitality workforce will be laid-off or furloughed in the coming weeks.
But McDonald tells me… Yuma will continue to stay strong despite the current downfall.
“You see everywhere now, #yumankindness, it’s true. There is kindness in this community and there is a huge effort for those who are losing their jobs back to work again and get them working again quickly.”
