AH MARCH 2024
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MARCH 2024 ASIAN HOSPITALITY
ore than two-thirds of hotels are
struggling with staffing shortages,
leading hoteliers to offer
increased pay and a variety of incentives
to attract and retain talent, according to a
new survey conducted by the American
Hotel & Lodging Association. In
response, AHLA is calling on Congress
to take action.
Around 82 percent of respondents
have increased wages in the last six
months, reaching a record high average
for hotels in December 2023, according
to the survey. Additionally, 59 percent are
offering greater flexibility with hours,
and 33 percent are expanding benefits.
Despite these efforts, 72 percent said
they are still unable to fill open positions.
Approximately 67 percent of survey
respondents reported a staffing
shortage, with 12 percent describing it
as "severely understaffed," impacting
their operations, the survey said.
Housekeeping emerges as the most
critical need, cited by 48 percent as their
top hiring priority. These figures mark
an improvement from May 2023 when 82
percent reported staffing shortages.
AHLA said respondents to the latest
survey are trying to fill an average of
nine positions per property, a figure
largely consistent with May 2023
but higher than the average of seven
vacancies per property in January 2023.
Historic career opportunities in
hotels
Ongoing staffing challenges are creating
career opportunities for hotel employees,
the survey said. There are more than
70,000 hotel jobs currently open
across the nation, according to Indeed.
Moreover, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
revealed that as of December 2023,
national average hotel wages reached an
all-time high of $23.91 per hour.
According to AHLA, hotel wages
have outpaced general economic wages
since the pandemic, with benefits and
flexibility reaching unprecedented levels.
“The hotel workforce situation is
slowly improving thanks to record-high
average wages and better benefits and
upward mobility than ever before,” said
Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO.
“But nationwide labor shortages are
preventing hoteliers from filling tens
of thousands of jobs, and that problem
will weigh heavily on our members
until Congress takes action. We urge
lawmakers to address this urgent issue
by creating an H-2B returning worker
exemption, passing the Asylum Seeker
Work Authorization Act, and passing the
H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers
Act.”
As of December, the U.S. had 9 million
job openings, but only 6.3 million
unemployed individuals available to
fill them, according to Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
‘Workforce shortage solutions’
AHLA said that Congress can help
hoteliers address workforce shortages by
taking the following actions:
Expanding and streamlining the legal
H-2B guestworker program: The H-2B
program aids independent hotels and
resorts in remote vacation spots to fill
seasonal roles. However, with a yearly
cap of 66,000 visas, it falls short, AHLA
said. Exempting returning workers
from this limit would assist hoteliers
in hiring employees to offer crucial
staffing relief for seasonal small business
hotels, thereby contributing to the post-
pandemic economic recovery.
Cosponsor and pass the Asylum Seeker
Work Authorization Act: A record
number of asylum seekers are currently
housed in hotels across America,
awaiting court dates and adhering to
the legal process. However, existing law
prohibits them from working legally for
at least six months, necessitating reliance
on local government and community
assistance. This bipartisan legislation
aims to assist hotels in addressing critical
staffing shortages by enabling asylum
seekers to begin working as soon as 30
days after applying for asylum.
Cosponsor and pass the H-2
Improvements to Relieve Employers Act:
The bill proposes extending the H-2A/H-
2B labor certification period to three years
and permanently authorizing the waiver
of in-person interviews for returning
workers. The HIRE Act aims to simplify
the process for qualified workers to
obtain jobs in industries facing challenges
in recruiting and retaining sufficient
employees to meet demand.
AHLA's 2024 State of the Hotel
Industry report recently indicated a
robust outlook for the U.S. hotel industry.
Projected average hotel occupancy is
nearly 63.6 percent, a slight increase
from 2023 but below the 2019 rate of 65.8
percent. Nominal RevPAR is expected
to rise to $101.82 in 2024, marking a 4
percent increase from 2023 and over 17
percent from 2019.
Survey: 67 percent of hotels
report staffing shortages
More than 80 percent of hotels are boosting wages to hire and retain staff
More than two-thirds
of hotels are grappling
with staffing shortages,
according to a recent
survey by the American
Hotel & Lodging
Association. This has
prompted hoteliers to
offer increased pay and
various incentives to
attract and retain talent.
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