The hospitality industry has made strides in rebuilding its workforce post-pandemic, but staffing challenges persist, with 65 percent of surveyed hotels still facing shortages, according to the results of a new survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and its partner, Hireology.
While U.S. hotels have introduced higher wages, flexible work hours, expanded benefits and discounts to attract workers, employment levels in the sector remain significantly below pre-pandemic figures.
¡°While American hotels have largely recovered from the pandemic, hotel employment is still nearly 10 percent below pre-pandemic staffing levels,¡±?AHLA President & CEO Rosanna Maietta said in the report. ¡°The hospitality sector is committed to attracting and retaining talent, investing in workforce development, and creating good jobs for millions of Americans, and we are working hard in Washington to ensure we have a policy environment that supports these efforts.¡±
Despite ongoing shortages, conditions have improved over the past year. In May 2024, 76 percent of hotels reported a staffing deficit, a figure that actually dropped to 65 percent by the end of the year. The percentage of hotels reporting themselves to be ¡°severely understaffed¡± also decreased from 13 percent in May to 9 percent by year¡¯s end.?
However, filling open positions remains a challenge. More than 70 percent of hotels surveyed said they were struggling to find qualified applicants, with an average of six to seven vacancies per property. Housekeeping was reported as the most difficult department to staff, cited by 38 percent of respondents, followed by front desk positions (26 percent), culinary roles (14 percent) and maintenance jobs (13 percent).
To address these shortages, hotels are adopting a variety of strategies. Nearly half (47 percent) of surveyed hotels reported increasing wages as their primary method of attracting workers. Other approaches include offering flexible work hours (20 percent), providing employee discounts on hotel stays (13 percent), and actively participating in job fairs and advertising campaigns (9 percent).
¡°The hospitality industry faces a dual challenge: staffing shortages, particularly in key roles like housekeeping and front desk, coupled with the need to retain existing talent,¡±?said Adam Robinson, Hireology Co-Founder & CEO. ¡°While wage increases and other efforts by hoteliers are positive steps, we must prioritize career mobility and create clear paths for advancement to truly attract and retain the workforce we need."
Encouragingly, 72 percent of hoteliers surveyed believe that career opportunities in the hospitality sector are just as good or even better than they were before the pandemic.
The ongoing labor shortages in the hotel industry reflect broader trends in the U.S. job market. As of the end of 2024, there were 7.6 million overall job openings nationwide, but only 5.5 million unemployed individuals available to fill them, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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