One-in-four Hospitality Hiring Managers Plan to Add New Jobs In 2004, CareerBuilder.com Survey Reveals

CHICAGO, February 2, 2004 - After experiencing a series of business challenges, the Hospitality industry has an improved outlook and one-in-four Hospitality hiring managers plan to add new jobs this year, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey. Those adding new jobs say they are recruiting to improve customer service, expand operations and support the launch of new products or services. In addition, 66 percent of Hospitality hiring managers say they plan to replace employees who left voluntarily or were laid off. The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Hiring Trends in Hospitality 2004," was conducted from November 18, 2003 to December 4, 2003 and included more than 125 hiring managers.

"After struggling to overcome a sluggish economy and a stigma on travel as a result of terrorist attacks, the Hospitality industry is on the rebound," said Lori McInerney, Hospitality employment expert at CareerBuilder.com. "Four-in-ten Hospitality hiring managers say they feel optimistic about the economy and this confidence is translating into new job opportunities for Hospitality employees. Twenty-eight percent of Hospitality hiring managers will increase their recruitment budget this year to find the right people to support expansion efforts and streamline operational costs."

Fifty-eight percent of Hospitality hiring managers say they are filling their open positions within 14 days or less while only 17 percent say it takes them longer than 30 days.

Four-in-ten Hospitality hiring managers state that it is easy for them to find proper candidates to fill their open positions. However, some positions are more difficult to fill than others. Almost one-third of Hospitality hiring managers report difficulty in recruiting for food preparation and service positions, 15 percent are having problems finding good customer service candidates and 11 percent are experiencing challenges in filling management jobs.

A candidate's experience remains the most important factor in the selection process for these hiring managers. For almost four-in-ten Hospitality hiring managers, it is the appropriateness of the candidate's experience that is the most important factor influencing their hiring decisions. Hiring managers are also influenced by the professional behavior demonstrated during the hiring process (17 percent) and by the enthusiasm displayed by the candidate for the job opportunity (13 percent) in their decision to select a certain candidate.

To help Hospitality employers target candidates with the most relevant skills and experience for their open positions, CareerBuilder.com offers easy job postings, over 9 million resumes, online career fairs and profiles of skilled and hourly workers. CareerBuilder.com also offers a vast distribution network that includes the Web sites of leading Hospitality associations and publications across the country.

Owned by Tribune Company, Gannett and Knight Ridder, CareerBuilder.com features jobs from the classifieds sections of more than 130 newspapers. With its newspaper affiliations, CareerBuilder.com powers the career sites for more than 350 partners with over 1,200 Web sites reaching national, local, industry and niche audiences.

Survey Methodology
The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Hiring Trends in Hospitality 2004," was conducted from November 18 to December 4, 2003 of more than 125 Hospitality hiring managers. To collect data for the survey, CareerBuilder.com commissioned SurveySite to use an e-mail methodology whereby individuals who are members of SurveySite Web Panel were randomly selected and approached by e-mail invitation to participate in the online survey. The results of this survey are accurate within +/- 8.66 percent (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is a leading online source for maximizing recruitment dollars and optimizing job searches with superior products, customer service and technology. With a unique combination of national, local and niche audiences, CareerBuilder.com makes it easy for recruiters to reach the most qualified candidates with industry-leading market research data and support. Job seekers can search for the right job from more than 400,000 continuously updated postings, representing more than 25,000 of the top employers in virtually every industry, field and location. Together with Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and Knight Ridder, Inc. (NYSE:KRI), CareerBuilder.com includes the Web's top newspaper sites - the most trusted employment sources in recruiting. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, call 888-670-TEAM or visit CareerBuilder.com at http://www.careerbuilder.com.

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