When the pandemic struck in 2020, the travel and hospitality industry saw some of the biggest impacts worldwide, and the reverberations and recovery are still shaping the industry years later.
Now, people are traveling again, but while many industries have recovered the jobs lost in 2020, hospitality lags behind. The industry faces a new set of talent challenges, but employers have the opportunity to reshape their talent programs for the world of travel.
Check out this infographic for insights on this transforming industry.
![Through the job market volatility that has defined the hiring market for the past three years, the travel and hospitality industry saw some of the biggest impacts worldwide, and the reverberations and recovery are still shaping the industry years later. Now, people are traveling again, but while many industries have regained the jobs lost in 2020, hospitality lags behind.
Travelers are finally ready to hit the skies, seas and roads for both personal and business travel.
After several years of staying close to home, pent up demand has the travel industry booming. Global travel revenue is expected to triple 2020 levels by 2027. Full recovery of business travel to 2019 spend volumes appears likely by late 2024 or early 2025.i
Travel is more meaningful than it used to be, leading to increased traveler expectations and more challenges for hospitality staff.
46% of people say travel is now more important to them than it was before the pandemic.ii
43% of people are upping their travel budget in 2023.iii
91% of hospitality workers said they have dealt with customers who believed they inherently deserved privileges or special treatment, and 70% have wanted to leave the industry as a result.iv
However, hospitality staffing has not caught up to the renewed demand.
In the U.S. alone, nearly 2 million hospitality jobs remain unfilled, even as hiring slows in other industries.v
In September 2022, 87% of hoteliers reported staffing shortages.vi
In the UK, hospitality job openings are still 74% higher than they were in January and February of 2020.vii
One big reason for that? Millions of hospitality workers fled the industry during the pandemic and recovery.
15.6% of people left their hospitality jobs in March 2020.viii
8.3% of hospitality staff left the sector between August and September 2022.ix
Do you need help hiring hospitality workers? Learn about how you can attract the next generation of workers, build more diverse teams and plan for the future in The Recruitment Handbook for Hospitality and Travel.
[Download your copy now!]](https://www.peoplescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/PeopleScout-Travel-and-Hospitality-Infographic-01.jpg)