Survey: Hotel jobs to outpace overall market growth in five years

JOBS IN THE hotel industry are projected to exceed overall job market growth in the next five years, according to recent research commissioned by the AHLA Foundation. The foundation has also introduced an interactive dashboard enabling job seekers to explore and compare roles, requirements and compensation within various hospitality careers.

The foundation tasked Lightcast, a labor market analytics firm, with providing data on demographic and growth trends crucial for identifying and mapping career pathways within the hotel and lodging industry, the AHLA Foundation said in a statement. With its real-time, proprietary databases and industry parsing capabilities, Lightcast created an interactive dashboard illustrating career pathways in the hotel and lodging industry from 2010 to 2023.

“It’s an attractive time to enter the hotel industry,” said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation’s president. “A key part of our work at AHLA Foundation is supporting the recruitment, retention and advancement of people in our industry. Understanding the entry points where careers begin, where they lead and what paths they take is a critical step to helping find their home in hospitality.”

The foundation stated that the hotel industry currently employs 1.8 million workers in the U.S. The report projected a 12 percent job growth in the hotel industry over the next five years, compared to 8 percent nationwide. A significant portion of this demand is in entry-level positions or roles that do not require college degrees, highlighting the hotel industry's potential as a mobility engine, the AHLA Foundation said.

In February, an AHLA survey found that over two-thirds of hotels are struggling with staffing shortages, leading hoteliers to offer increased pay and various incentives to attract and retain talent. AHLA has called on Congress to take action in response.