News
Event management cos, hotels tap temp staff for G20 events
Summary
- Major hotel chains have also relocated their staff from other sites and hired trained executives for the event
Hospitality chains as well as event management firms preparing for the G20 events in Delhi have hired temporary workers to address their staffing shortages for the next few days.
Major hotel chains have also relocated their staff from other sites and hired trained executives for the event. “All critical positions at the HOD, managerial cadres and expatriate chefs in hotels were the focal point of hiring since January in preparation for the G20 to ensure that the best available talent was available in the run up to the summit," said Neha Garg, the founder director of Red Kite Consulting, which specializes in recruiting for the hospitality industry.
Hotels hosting the G20 delegates and visitors during this period made arrangements in advance to avoid last-minute staff shortages, Garg said. “Also, visas for expat chefs were expedited by the ministry of external affairs and consular missions in preparation for the G20 Summit," she added.
New Delhi is hosting the 18th G20 Summit on 9-10 September, but expect large number of visitors ahead of the scheduled events.
Several hotels in the capital have managed to move around their teams to branches where G20 delegations are staying.
Indian Hotels Co. Ltd’s network in Delhi redeployed employees to cater to additional work. A spokesperson for the Taj Mahal hotel at Mansingh Road said since it is hosting regular visitors as well as delegates arriving for the G20 events, it has increased manpower through redeployments from locations outside Delhi, including security teams and on-ground teams like chefs.
Data from travel services firm RateGain shows the average daily rate—a key metric for hoteliers to measure revenue—during 7-11 September was up to ₹26,000, an over fourfold rise from ₹6,000 seen over the past one year.
“G20 will need temp workers who are hired from staffing firms and event management companies .There has been an intake of gig workforce for profiles like ushers and security personnel, and their hiring has taken place few months ago ," said Lohit Bhatia, president, workforce management, at business services provider Quess Corp.
Recruiters said most of the gig workers are young professionals looking to boost their resumes or trainees from colleges.
“The daily pay will be about ₹1,500 a day for the gig workforce when a similar job for a month could fetch them ₹10,000," said Rituparna Chakraborty, co-founder and director of TeamLease Services.
Many top leaders from partner countries will be residing at the ITC Maurya and the Taj Palace in Delhi, which have over the years hosted several heads of states and are familiar with the protocol. US President Joe Biden is expected to stay at the Taj Palace, while the delegation from Saudi Arabia will be hosted by The Leela Palace Hotel at Chanakyapuri.
