AHLA: U.S. Hotels Added 1,200 Jobs in April — LODGING

WASHINGTON—U.S. hotels added 1,200 jobs to their payrolls in April, according to the latest government data that shows employment in the industry is still far from pre-pandemic levels, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Total hotel employment stands at about 1.92 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s 193,600 fewer workers in the industry than in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit.

“Hotels are doing all they can to attract and retain workers, but the nationwide workforce shortage is preventing our industry from reaching its full potential,” said AHLA Interim President and CEO Kevin Carey. “AHLA members need help filling open jobs so they can maintain and expand operations. The Department of Homeland Security can provide vital assistance by making available nearly 65,000 additional H-2B visas. Meanwhile, we are urging Congress to pass three important bills to help grow our nation’s workforce: the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act, the H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers (HIRE) Act, and the Closing the Workforce Gap Act.”

Hotels continue to offer increased wages, benefits, and workplace flexibility to attract and retain workers in the face of a nationwide workforce shortage:

• Since the pandemic, average hotel wages (up 26.7 percent) have increased 24 percent faster than average wages throughout the general economy (up 21.5 percent).
• Despite these increases, there are currently tens of thousands of open hotel jobs in the United States, according to Indeed.

As of March, there were 8.5 million job openings in the United States and only 6.4 million unemployed people to fill those jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

AHLA is calling on the Department of Homeland Security to expand the workforce by making available nearly 65,000 additional H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas as soon as possible, under authority Congress gave it as part of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act.