An industry survey says hotels are struggling to fill positions
The hotel industry says it’s having trouble finding workers. A new survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association revealed that more than three quarters of its members were having trouble hiring all the people they need to run their businesses, the industry trade group announced Monday.
Seventy-six percent of the group’s members said that they are in the middle of a staffing shortage. Thirteen percent of them said that they are severely understaffed, a shortage so bad they are running into difficulties keeping things going on a day-to-day basis.
“Strong summer travel demand and a nationwide workforce shortage have combined to create more pay, perks, and upward mobility for current and prospective hotel employees,” AHLA CEO Kevin Carey said in a statement accompanying the survey results. “But hotels need access to more workers to continue creating jobs.”
The AHLA said that 86% of its members had increased wages in the last six months, that 52% increased scheduling flexibility, and 33% increased benefits. That’s not enough, though, as 79% say they can’t fill open positions. That’s worse than a January survey done by the group that found 72% of its members couldn’t fill open positions.
Last month, Reuters reported that thousands of hotel union members had gathered in 18 cities to celebrate International Workers Day and demonstrate for better treatment. They said that hotels had cut staffing and hours in the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic and been slow to raise wages despite being quick to raise room rates.
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