Hospitality Graduates' Employment Status and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to profile hospitality graduates' employment status and to determine the levels of overall job satisfaction of hospitality graduates. The research sample represented 320 individuals who graduated from the hotel and restaurant management program at a Midwest university. Overall, respondents' job satisfaction from within five dimensions was moderate, ranging from 3.51 to 5.10 on a 7-point Likert scale. Age and income were significant factors affecting respondents' job satisfaction. The satisfaction level appears to be highest among the respondents working between six to nine years in the industry, but declines sharply after that period. Therefore, the industry should consider this timeframe to prevent the draining of the managerial talent to other industries. Unlike previous findings, the respondents' job satisfaction in this study was not influenced by average working hours. Limitations and recommendations for future research also were discussed.