Hotel Employment

This update highlights ongoing challenges in the hotel industry's recovery from the pandemic, particularly concerning employment. Although the sector is slowly regaining its workforce, it still struggles with a significant shortfall compared to 2019 levels due to a nationwide labor shortage. Projections for 2024 suggest that hotels will be employing nearly 225,000 fewer people than before the pandemic, with only modest improvements anticipated. Best practices for hoteliers include focusing on efficient resource management and exploring innovative recruitment strategies to bridge these employment gaps.

Key industry trends include a gradual rise in employment numbers, yet well below pre-pandemic levels across almost all states, with Montana and Arkansas being notable exceptions expected to show slight job growth compared to 2019. This data, sourced from Oxford Economics, suggests a need for the industry to adapt to enduring workforce challenges as it looks to rebuild.