RECRUITMENT PROCESSES AS PART OF THE POLICY PURSUED IN TOURISM ENTERPRISES IN A POST-COVID ENVIRONMENT

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Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the impact of the recruitment processes carried out in the tourism industry on the policy-making of tourism enterprises in a post-pandemic world by identifying the recruitment problems in the implementation of tourism activities, which are driven by HR and recruitment problems. In the paper, the links between recruitment processes are highlighted, as well as the evolution of tourism services in the face of the industry crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent to which these problems impede effective operations in the market was investigated, as in service companies the qualifications and quality of staff are vital, especially when providing tourism services. The aim was to check what recruitment methods and tools the surveyed representatives of the tourism industry use as a method of counteracting staffing problems. Recruitment problems were analysed in terms of the deterioration of the quality of tourist services, the impact on the image and financial situation of tourist companies. The analysis consisted in determining in which areas the effects of existing recruitment problems occurred.Method. The research was carried out through individual in-depth surveys, in which managers of tourism companies – regardless of their casual statements – were asked to answer 13 pre-prepared questions relating to recruitment problems accompanying entrepreneurs in the previous 24 months (2020-2022). The questions concerned the recruitment of staff for positions related to tourist services. Ten Polish businesses representing the main sectors of the tourism industry were surveyed, including travel agencies (organisers and brokers/agents), hotels and leisure tour operators.Findings. It was found that recruitment problems existed, to a greater or lesser extent, in virtually all the surveyed companies. These are largely due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The nature and source of these problems, and whether and if so, what impact they may have on the implementation of the country’s tourism policy, were verified.Research and conclusion limitations. The qualitative studies were conducted on a small sample of entrepreneurs from Poland.Originality. In the paper, the relatively rarely discussed topic of recruitment problems is dealt with, including the methods used to counteract this phenomenon pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a factor intensifying the importance of difficulties on the labour market in the tourism industry.Type of paper. The results of empirical (qualitative) research are presented in this paper.