The global travel and tourism industry is on a collision course with a massive labor shortage, with a new World Travel & Tourism Council report warning of a 43 million-person gap by 2035. The findings, as first reported by Hotel Management Network, show the hospitality segment alone will be short nearly 9 million people.
A booming paradox: The warning comes as travel is booming. The industry is on track to create a staggering 91 million jobs in the next ten years—becoming the source of one in every three new jobs on the planet. But as the industry grows, the demand for talent will outpace supply by 16%.
Gen Z says no thanks: At the core of the crisis are recruitment and retention. The pandemic spurred an exodus of staff who haven't returned, and the analysis highlights a struggle to attract younger generations. Gen Z workers, in particular, are hesitant to take on customer-facing roles, finding the "intense, long and unpredictable shift patterns" of hospitality a dealbreaker.
The industry's playbook: To combat the shortfall, the report calls on the industry to offer more competitive wages, partner with schools to build a talent pipeline, and invest in AI to boost productivity.
The travel boom is creating millions of jobs that no one seems to want. Without a fundamental shift in how it attracts and retains talent, the hospitality industry's growth will be grounded.
The labor crunch is an ongoing and complex issue, with dedicated coverage tracking the latest workforce news. Meanwhile, as the industry struggles to find workers, travelers themselves are increasingly seeking purpose-driven "Whycations," creating a parallel values shift. The crisis also has a direct financial impact, as industry leaders grapple with the real cost of high turnover.
