New Data Suggests Leisure & Hospitality Jobs Hit Hardest by COVID-19 Pandemic

New data suggests that around 40 percent of all jobs lost since February 2020 have been in the Leisure and Hospitality industry.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, the latest Department of Labor national jobs report found that another 61,000 jobs were lost in the Leisure and Hospitality sector last month, signifying lingering pandemic-related stress.

January was the second month in a row that the Leisure and Hospitality sector lost jobs despite overall U.S. employment gains, with the total numbers from the last year being triple the total of the next-hardest-hit industry.

Leisure and Hospitality’s 39 percent share of all U.S. unemployment is three times that of the industry with the second-biggest share, which was the government at 13 percent.

“The math is pretty easy: the U.S. economy won’t get back on track until the Leisure and Hospitality sector is back on track, and that’s going to take aggressive policy actions,” U.S. Travel CEO Roger Dow said.

“Safely restarting travel needs to become a national priority, which means not only relief measures but pressing ahead on vaccinations and continuing to emphasize best health practices,” Dow continued. “This is an all-hands-on-deck problem, with the government, industry, and also the public having important roles to play.”

U.S. Travel is working with Congress and President Joe Biden to extend and enhance the Paycheck Protection Program, provide grants for hard-hit sectors, issue $2.25 billion in EDA grants and approve $17 billion in additional relief for the aviation industry.

Other recovery strategies proposed include providing tax incentives to support the restoration of travel jobs and helping travel businesses cover the cost of COVID-19 prevention efforts.