Association between age, critical skills and work perspectives

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to report on the associations between age, critical skills and work perspectives (job satisfaction, career/organizational commitment and job characteristics) as perceived by resort employees. It highlights that age and critical skills play an important role towards work perspectives. A descriptive research design approach was followed. Three hundred and eighteen fully completed questionnaires were included in the statistical analysis, which included exploratory factor analysis, Spearman‟s rho and a structural equation model. Resort employees of different ages do not experience job characteristics differently. Older employees are often more experienced in the work environment, which contributes to an increase in job satisfaction, while younger employees who start building a career in the hospitality sector experience less job satisfaction. Older employees are more committed to their careers than younger employees. Critical skills have no influence on participants‟ perception of job characteristics. However, resort employees who have a variety of critical skills experience an increase in job satisfaction.