Report: Dearth of Hotel Workers Could Dampen Holiday Season

In the wake of the pandemic, 38 percent of hospitality workers are contemplating leaving the travel industry within the next two months, which “hints at an incredibly challenging holiday season ahead as businesses attempt to navigate what is expected to be an enormous influx of travelers with far fewer resources,” according to a report by Medallia Zingle, which provides messages platforms for such brands as Hyatt, MGM and Aimbridge Hospitality.

The report, which explores how the resumption of travel is affecting worldwide hospitality workers, also uncovered that “59 percent of global hospitality workers said their companies have “been working with less staff now than they did prior to the pandemic.”

The three major reasons why hospitality workers are considering looking for new careers were health and safety concerns, lack of job security and having found new jobs during the pandemic shutdown.

Although 67 percent of employees noted their companies had witnessed in an uptick in business since COVID-19 vaccines became more widely available, 48 percent said their companies’ handling of those increases has been “just okay.”

Furthermore, the report uncovered that 61 percent workers across said that their “roles are harder and less rewarding since the onset of the pandemic.”

Twenty-four percent said that “their employee experience has gotten worse and that they feel less engaged,” and 27 percent reported that the customer experience they are providing has “also gotten worse since the onset of the pandemic.”

Not surprisingly, 52 percent of workers noted their companies are finding it difficult to hire new employees due a scarcity of qualified candidates, “lack of resources to offer competitive pay or benefits” and “lack of flexibility/remote options.”