Australia’s hospitality industry is one of the country’s most dynamic economic sectors, encompassing hotels, resorts, restaurants, and event services. The hotel sector alone is particularly robust, with market volume expected to increase to AUD $15.83bn by 2030, showing an annual growth rate (CAGR 2025-2030) of 6.79%. It is also one of the country’s largest employers, accounting for approximately 6.6% of the total workforce.
What sets Australia apart is its seasonal rhythm. While some parts of the world slow down for winter, Australia is just heating up, literally. From November to January, the country enters its vibrant summer season, creating a unique window of opportunity for the hospitality industry. As locals and tourists alike flock to beaches, festivals, and holiday destinations, they also increase the demand and traffic for restaurants, hotels, and event venues. This coincides with the Christmas and New Year holidays, making it a peak period for hiring across hospitality roles.
During this festive season, businesses actively recruit for seasonal and casual roles to scale operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. However, as businesses rush to employ new workers, they must also remember to hire safely. One way to achieve this is by conducting thorough background screening on prospective employees.
What are the background screening programs that are most used in the hospitality industry?
- Employment and/or education verifications
- Reference checks
- Social media checks
- Right-To-Work check
- Other background check services
All of these services are important, and while they can run concurrently, they are independent of each other.
Together, these background screening programs can help support a more consistent hiring process and can be configurable depending on the severity of the role. For example, candidates in guest-facing or service-oriented positions may include checks focusing on professional conduct, communication skills, and customer service performance history, while managerial roles involving access to sensitive information or financial transactions may include more compliance-focused background checks.
Why are background checks useful in the hospitality industry?
1. Safety Is Key
In hospitality, ensuring a safe and secure environment for guests is a top priority. This begins with hiring employees who can be trusted to uphold the well-being and safety standards expected in the industry.
Conducting background checks, such as criminal history checks, can help businesses be better informed regarding employment decisions that may impact guest safety or company reputation.
2. Managing a Diverse Workforce
The hospitality sector employs not only locals, but also a high number of international workers, including those on temporary visas. Over 321,116 Working Holiday Maker visas (including Working Holiday and Work and Holiday visas) were granted in Australia alone, as of June 2025. The Working Holiday Maker visa is a program that allows employers to hire young adults to have a 12-month holiday, during which they can undertake short-term work and study, which includes 40 partner countries or jurisdictions.
While this global talent pool brings diversity, it also presents challenges in checking background information in other countries. Limited access to international records can make it harder to thoroughly assess a candidate’s history.
That’s where Right to Work checks can become essential. These checks confirm a candidate’s legal eligibility to work in Australia by verifying visa and passport status with immigration authorities.
For businesses expanding their talent pool globally, combining Right to Work checks with a background screening program can help inform employers about candidates which will assist them in meeting the trust and integrity standards they may require in hospitality roles.
3. Credibility and Integrity
Hospitality workers often work in high-trust environments, such as hotel rooms, bars, restaurants, or with vulnerable populations such as children or elderly people. Due to their employment in such environments, it’s important for businesses to consider thorough background checks before hiring.
Additionally, many hospitality-industry companies require employees to work independently, often without direct supervision. For example, in small hospitality businesses, staff may have access to the cash register even when a manager isn’t present. Room attendants are likewise often responsible for cleaning spaces sometimes while guests are still occupying them. These scenarios demand a high level of integrity, discretion, and accountability from employees.
Reference checks offer insights into a candidate’s background in prior jobs and may include information concerning reliability and professionalism. Likewise, social media screening can reveal aspects of their online presence that may not surface during interviews but could impact your brand.
Automating The Recruitment Process
Efficiency is essential during peak hiring seasons. Automating parts of the onboarding process helps employers manage high volumes of applicants, whether they’re local or from outside the country, or whether they’re seeking casual or permanent roles.
While automation may seem like a major shift, it brings structure and consistency to your hiring process. Automated background screening is particularly helpful as an initial filter. It helps identify and categorize candidates’ background histories early in the process, allowing your team to save valuable time and resources while maintaining quality in hiring. Noting that having a human-in-the-loop is critical with any automated process involving making hiring decisions.
How First Advantage Supports Hospitality Hiring
First Advantage helps hospitality businesses hire the right people through fast, reliable screening. A robust background screening program helps with your company’s overall goals of safety, trust, and service excellence.
For more background check tips, ideas, and strategies helping you hire smarter and onboard faster, contact First Advantage today: First Advantage APAC.
