Abstract
Frontline workforce quality and retention remain critical operational challenges in ongoing sustainable resort management. While formal higher education degrees are often impractical for operational frontline staff, targeted micro-credentialing programs offer an agile pathway for skill enhancement and career progression. This study evaluates the socio-economic viability of a specialized sustainability and service excellence micro-credentialing framework implemented across high-end coastal resorts in Southeast Asia. Utilizing a 24-month panel dataset from 24 properties (12 treatment, 12 control) and employing a quasi-experimental Difference-in-Differences (DiD) methodology, we systematically assess the impact of frontline micro-credentialing on employee turnover, wage trajectories, guest satisfaction indices, and operational eco-efficiencies. Our empirical findings demonstrate that micro-credentialing adoption yields a statistically significant 18.4% reduction in voluntary frontline staff turnover and a 12.2% increase in average frontline wages linked to productivity gains. Furthermore, guest satisfaction scores regarding sustainability engagement improved by 1.45 points on a 7-point scale, accompanied by notable reductions in per-occupied-room resource consumption. The study highlights micro-credentialing as an effective socio-economic lever that bridges human capital stabilization with operational sustainability, providing critical insights for destination managers and resort executives seeking agile labor force transformations.
