Vacancies for executive housekeepers are rarely advertised. This means it can be difficult to get a position as an executive housekeeper unless you are already working in a hotel chain, or your level of experience means you are headhunted by another hotel.
Executive housekeeper vacancies are rare because once people get the job they tend to stay in it for a long time – sometimes until retirement. Job turnover is low for the following reasons:
- Executive housekeepers have often taken many years to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to do the job, moving up from room service attendant roles into room checker, team leader and supervisor positions. Once they become executive housekeepers it is rare for them to be promoted into other management positions in hotels.
- Hotels work hard to keep experienced executive housekeepers, by providing good salaries and working conditions. This is because the position requires a specialised combination of knowledge and skills, such as the use of chemicals, cleaning techniques, budgeting and management.
When vacancies do occur, hotels tend to promote existing staff such as assistant executive housekeepers or housekeeping supervisors.
Fewer executive housekeepers leaving jobs because of uncertainty in job market
The current global economic recession is likely to mean even fewer vacancies for executive housekeepers. People who may have changed jobs when the economy was stronger – freeing up positions for others – are now more likely stay where they are because they are not sure they will be able to find another job.
Global recession affecting executive housekeeper tasks
The economic recession is affecting all jobs in the hospitality industry, because people are spending less on leisure and travel. Fewer visitors means lower hotel occupancy rates, and less income for hotels.
To try to cut costs, many hotels are not replacing staff when they leave, unless they are key positions. Executive housekeepers working at large hotels are considered vital, so these vacancies are likely to be filled. However, junior housekeeping jobs are less likely to be filled. This means executive housekeepers are increasingly likely to have to take on low-level tasks previously done by these junior workers.
Hospitality industry predicted to pick up from about 2010
Industry sources expect the recession to affect the hospitality industry in the short to medium term, but predict things will pick up from about September 2010. A report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) in December 2008 predicted that the accommodation sector will show strong growth in the five years to 2013.
You can find work as an executive housekeeper at large hotels throughout New Zealand, particularly in the major cities and in tourist destinations such as Queenstown and Rotorua.
