The unemployment rate for June in the U.S. was 5.9%. Ostensibly, we’re nearing full employment but many industries are still looking for workers. There could be a number of factors at work here. Many are pointing to extended unemployment benefits keeping people out of the workforce. Many businesses may also still be adjusting to the effects of Covid-19 and demand bouncing from near zero to quite high nearly overnight. The hotel industry may fall into that latter camp.
In an effort to help fill the thousands of open jobs in the hotel industry, the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) – with Georgia politics’ old friend Chip Rogers at the helm – has launched a campaign to fill the jobs and talk about the benefits of a career in the industry. Partnering with the American Hotel and Lodging Foundation, the advertising campaign will run across five major hotel markets.
“On the heels of the worst economic crisis on record for our industry, hotels are now facing a rapidly emerging issue of staffing shortages, particularly in vacation destinations. Hotels are in the midst of a hiring spree as we welcome the return of leisure travelers, and this campaign will help raise national awareness about open positions and the benefits of a career in hospitality,” said Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA.
A quick glance of open positions in the Atlanta area showed hundreds of open positions in a range of areas, from housekeeping to management to food and beverage. To entice more workers to join the industry, hotels are increasingly offering more competitive pay, flexible scheduling, more paid time off, health care benefits and retirement savings.
“Hotels are committed to attracting, retaining, and educating individuals for lifelong careers in a growing and vibrant field. People are the heart of hospitality, and the AHLA Foundation is proud to build on its legacy of opening doors of opportunity for those looking to pursue hospitality careers,” said Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the AHLA Foundation. “With thousands of open hotel positions nationwide—from management to guest services—the AHLA Foundation offers programs to help prospective and existing hotel employees gain new skills and reach their dreams while creating lifelong, fulfilling careers.”
There are some 200 different career paths available in the industry, with the perk for workers of being able to move across the globe with the skills they learn. Approximately 80 percent of workers are eligible for a promotion within a year of employment and 50 percent of those that are now hotel general managers started in entry-level positions. The AHLA Foundation awards nearly $100,000 in professional development scholarships, in addition to $1 million in academic scholarships each year, working with more than 70 affiliated schools.
“Hotels, especially those in urban markets, have a long road to regaining what we lost during the pandemic. Ensuring we can fill positions to meet a rise in guest demand is a critical step as we work toward a full recovery,” added Rogers.
