"Large hotel chains are the most desirable employers in tourism in Croatia."

At these places, employees value good interpersonal relationships the most, numerous opportunities for advancement in the profession, and good treatment by superiors, confirms the research by the Employer of First Choice.

Who are the most desirable employers in Croatia and what are the reasons for their attractiveness?

Nineteenth in a row, the Employer of First Choice research offered answers in February*, revealing that the top of the list of the most desirable employers is still dominantly held by dm-drogerie markt. In the research conducted during 2023 by Alma Career Croatia, which manages the MojPosao portal, more than 25,000 respondents participated.

To get a better overview and provide companies with better insight into the competition, companies were divided according to the primary activity according to the NKD classification. Since employment in the season is still a hot topic, this time we focused only on those companies whose primary activity is I - Accommodation and food service activities.

When considering only respondents who chose companies from the Accommodation and food service activities, at the top of the list is Valamar Group, followed by Maistra in second place, while Globalna Hrana is in third place.

Order of employers of the first choice in the tourism industry:

2.

Respondents' desires: good interpersonal relationships and opportunities for professional advancement

To find out what are the little secrets that make a difference among employers, respondents were asked to choose up to three factors they believe the most desirable employer must have.

The majority of respondents (51%) marked good interpersonal relationships, or a good atmosphere in the workplace, as what attracts them to the most desirable employers. In second place was the opportunity for professional advancement (47%), and in third place was good treatment by superiors (42%). Among the less important factors are the company's social responsibility, non-material benefits, and the quality of the company's products and services.

Reasons for the attractiveness of employers of the first choice:

Changing employer or not?

Every fourth respondent (28%) whose employer of the first choice is a company in the tourism industry often considers changing employers. This is much less common than among respondents in the total sample (47%). One-third of employees (38%) sometimes consider changing employers, while 34% of people do not consider changing employers at all.

Are you considering changing employers?

When it comes to benefits, respondents who choose companies from the tourism and hospitality industry as their employer of the first choice mainly emphasize bonuses for outstanding achievements, employee education, and compensation for travel expenses.

In comparison with the total sample, respondents who are in , more often desire a free meal and drink at work.

Bonuses for referrals and weekend gatherings organized by the company are the least desirable benefits.

About the research:

The Employer of First Choice research was conducted by Alma Career Croatia via MojPosao (www.Moj-Posao.net) portal on a sample of more than 25,000 respondents during 2023. The research is conducted annually for the nineteenth year in a row.

It is important to note that the research is based solely on the respondents' perception of the companies themselves and their free choice (the names of the companies were NOT pre-offered in the research). The aim of the research was to find out which employers in the Croatian labor market are the most attractive to the general public and to highlight those that have made the most progress.

Respondents were asked to name (in order) their top three employers of choice ('first', 'second', and 'third' choice employers). Scoring was done so that 'first' choice employers received 3 points, 'second' choice 2 points, and 'third' choice 1 point, and based on that, the overall ranking of employers was calculated.