“The economic forecast for Asia continues on the upswing, travel to the Asia region is booming and the predictions are arrivals will grow by more than 25 per cent over the next two years – and this means more available jobs,” he said.

“Several major events - the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the 2010 World EXPO in Shanghai and Singapore’s staging of the first night time Formula One Grand Prix in September - will have a massive impact on overall tourism arrivals and new job creation this year alone.

“This well anticipated boom has proven a catalyst for many foreign companies who have placed heavy emphasis on either entering the Asian market or boosting their existing presence in the region.”

He continued, “And this in turn has placed even greater strain on the talent pool in an environment where employers are already finding it difficult to locate and retain qualified staff at all levels as employees leave to chase higher salaries and fast-track promotion.

“There is obviously a need for the industry to have a much closer look on how it can alleviate the situation. This is particularly the case from the perspective of selling the tourism industry as a career choice for potential employees as well as investing in career development programs for staff at all levels,” Chan added.

“Salary plays a part in initially winning candidates over but it’s not all about the pay packet.

“Employers would do well in these times to remember their staff place just as much emphasis on personal development and training as part of their overall longer term career aspirations.

“Those employers who take time to invest in the right, carefully thought out approach to both recruitment and retaining their staff are the ones most likely to succeed in these tight times,” he concluded.