Hotels face many hurdles to economic growth, but the toughest one might be finding enough employees to power that growth.
America’s hotels are doing all they can to create good jobs and retain employees. Average hotel wages are near a record high, and hotels are offering more benefits and workplace flexibility than ever before. So why is it still so difficult for hotels to maintain and expand their staff?
The problem is a nationwide workforce shortage that reduces the effectiveness of higher pay and more perks and has turned staffing into a long-term challenge for our industry and many others. That’s why AHLA remains engaged in multiple efforts to expand the hotel workforce.
A few simple numbers sum up the problem many U.S. companies are facing when it comes to staffing. As of May, there were 8.1 million job openings in the United States, and just 6.6 million unemployed people to fill those jobs.
Hotels have done their part to aggressively compete for these workers. Since the pandemic, average hotel wages have risen more than 15 percent faster than wages throughout the general economy.
But these improvements won’t fully solve hotel staffing challenges when there aren’t enough workers to go around. For instance, a May AHLA survey of hoteliers showed 76 percent of respondents are still short-staffed.
These staffing challenges are occurring amid continued strong demand for travel. A nationwide survey commissioned by AHLA in April found 61 percent of Americans planned to travel overnight for leisure this summer, and a third said they planned to travel more this summer than they did last summer. To accommodate this demand and keep their businesses growing, hotels need more workers.
Advocating for H-2B Visas
One important way AHLA is fighting to make a difference for hoteliers is by pushing the federal government to expand the pool of H-2B guestworker visas. These temporary visas give hotels access to the seasonal help they need over the summer and during the holidays, and there are several ways this vital program can be expanded.
In March, President Biden signed into law a spending bill that includes language allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in conjunction with the Department of Labor, to increase the number of available H-2B visas if U.S. companies are unable to find American workers to fill open jobs.
I chair the H-2B Workforce Coalition, an industry coalition that seeks to ensure small and seasonal employers have access to legal short-term employees. Our coalition pushed hard for the inclusion of this language in the spending bill, and now we are advising DHS to use this authority as soon as it can to provide relief to companies.
Additionally, we’re working with Congress to pass other legislation that would:
- Replace the arbitrary 66,000 cap on H-2B visas with a needs-based system for allocating a greater number of visas.
- Extend the duration of H-2B visas and make it easier for returning workers to secure them.
- Allow asylum seekers in the United States to more quickly gain work authorization upon entering the United States, provided they abide by federal asylum laws.
Workforce Development
The AHLA Foundation is also making key strides to grow and retain the industry’s talent pipeline through workforce development initiatives that introduce untapped talent to hotel-industry opportunities. The AHLA Foundation’s No Room For Trafficking Survivor Fund and Empowering Youth Program support community-based organizations that provide workforce readiness and hospitality training and access to employment opportunities for human trafficking survivors and Opportunity Youth (ages 16-24 who are not currently in school or employed), respectively.
The Foundation sponsors a registered apprenticeship program funded by the Department of Labor, which combines on-the-job training with classroom education for in-demand occupations. The program supports hospitality industry programs for cooks, lodging managers, and maintenance workers, and helps hotels fill these critical roles.
In addition, the Foundation supports more than $1 million in hospitality-related scholarships each year, which again helps steer skilled workers into the field.
Our dynamic industry employs nearly two million people and offers employees more than 200 career paths. It’s our goal at AHLA to grow the workforce and keep pushing Congress to do the same so hoteliers can meet demand, grow their businesses, and reach their full potential.
