Mövenpick creates 2,000 hotel jobs in Dubai

Against a backdrop of uncertainty and volatility in the UAE hospitality market, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (MH&R) has announced the creation of 2,000 new jobs in Dubai.

The hotel chain, whose ambitious expansion plan is steaming ahead despite the current global recession, is on track to open five new hotels in Dubai over the next 12 months, beginning with the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach this year.

"We have 10 people on board now, so there's a fair way to go," Thomas Tapken, General Manager and Regional Manager, MH&R Dubai told Emirates Business exclusively.

The group held a job fair this week to fill positions from stewards and waiters to supervisors and assistant outlet managers.

The uncertain economic climate and a wave of redundancies earlier this year means the candidate pool is both deeper and stronger than it has been in recent years with experienced candidates vying for jobs.

"So many people have been laid off but have stayed on under the sponsorship of their previous company, so there is a pool of ready talent in the UAE. And there is also a fair amount of employment uncertainty in the market now," said Tapken.

Of those applying, he added, 40 per cent had been made redundant by previous employers. "All these people have vital local experience and are familiar with the UAE. They're familiar with accommodation situations, they know how to get around the city, they understand the multicultural marketplace," he said.

He said while some 1,200 people turned up to the job fair following an e-mail blast advertising the positions, only 300 of these are likely to be offered jobs. While the number of candidates currently looking for work has increased, talented professionals still have options and employers still need to attract, retain and put forward the effort to engage their workforce.

"Anyone in the field of recruitment can tell you that 2,000 people hired means 20,000 CVs reviewed and 10,000 applicants screened with half of those going on to a second interview with the departments," said Dara Pinke, Director of Human Resources, MH&R Dubai.

She said recruitment advertisements now bring a response three or four times higher than in previous years. "Candidates now ask questions regarding opening dates and financial stability. Many are looking for assurances about how the redundancy process is handled within your company and how they will be treated if laid off in the future. "There are great jobs out there and your best players know it."

The company expects to fill the other jobs through fairs in other GCC countries over the next few months as well as by recruiting in such traditional labour supply markets. Senior positions, Tapken said, would be filled by word of mouth or targeted advertisements.

In 2010, the group will open the Royal Amwaj Resort & Spa on the crescent of the Palm Jumeirah; the Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel situated adjacent to the Ibn Battuta Mall; the Oceana Hotel & Spa on the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah and the Mövenpick Hotel Deira.

Staff for these hotels will be hired under the UAE-based holding company Seven Tides.

MH&R currently operates 67 hotels and has 32 others under construction.

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