WASHINGTON — American Hotel and Lodging Association The U.S. hotel industry added 700 jobs in May, according to the latest government data, suggesting that a nationwide labor shortage continues to make it difficult for the industry to fill open positions.
Total hotel industry employment is about 1.92 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Compared to February 2020, just before the pandemic, there were 191,500 fewer hotel industry workers, a shortfall that reflects the shortage of available staff since the pandemic began.
“The hospitality industry is poised to grow and create more jobs, but the persistent nationwide labor shortage in the post-pandemic economy has prevented this from happening,” said Kevin Carey, interim president and CEO of AHLA. “There are key steps Congress and the administration can take to increase the number of available workers and provide relief to hoteliers. These steps include increasing the number of H-2B visas, extending certification periods for H-2B workers, and making it easier for qualified asylum seekers to begin working in the United States.”
Hotel Staff Overview
In the face of a nationwide labor shortage, hotels continue to offer higher wages, benefits and workplace flexibility to attract and retain employees:
- Since the start of the pandemic, average hotel wages (up 26.4%) have increased more than 20% faster than the average wage for the economy as a whole (up 21.7%).
- Despite the increase in the number of hospitality jobs, there are still tens of thousands of unfilled hospitality jobs in the United States today, according to Indeed.
National Labor Force Overview
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that as of April, there were 8.1 million job openings in the United States, but only 6.5 million unemployed people needed to fill them.
AHLA Workforce Policy Priorities
AHLA calls on the Department of Homeland Security to quickly provide nearly 65,000 additional H-2B temporary non-agricultural worker visas to expand the workforce, as authorized by Congress in the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act.
AHLA also urges Congress to pass the following bills to help expand the workforce and enable hoteliers to maintain and expand their businesses:
- The Closing the Workforce Gaps Act of 2024 (HR 7574) would replace the arbitrary cap of 66,000 H-2B guest worker visas per year with a new needs-based visa allocation system.
- The H-2 Employer Relief Improvement (HIRE) Act (HR 4708) would extend H-2A/H-2B labor certifications to three years and permanently authorize the waiver of in-person interviews for returning workers. The HIRE Act would make it easier for qualified workers to find jobs in fields that have difficulty recruiting and retaining enough employees to meet demand. By increasing the number of seasonal workers, the bill would provide critical staffing relief to seasonal small business hotels and promote the continued recovery of the hospitality industry.
- The Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act (S.255/HR1325) would allow people seeking asylum at a port of entry to qualify for work authorization within 30 days of applying for asylum, provided their application is not frivolous; they are not detained; their identities have been verified; and their names are on the federal government’s terrorist watch list. This change would help hotels address critical staffing needs by allowing certain asylum seekers to begin working within 30 days of applying for asylum. Current law prohibits them from legally working for at least six months, forcing them to rely on assistance from local governments and communities.
