Hospitality employment covers accommodation and food services roles that employ millions across the U.S. and Canada. On this page, you’ll connect pay and compensation with workforce stability—separations, initial unemployment claims, and sick-leave capability. We also examine job-quality signals like burnout, injury and illness incidence, schedule notice, and overtime frequency, plus workforce composition by age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Finally, seasonal demand, training, and hotel technology adoption are linked to productivity and staffing strategies.
Key Takeaways
- $17.88 per hour was the average hourly wage for accommodation and food services workers in the U.S. in May 2023
- $1.7 trillion in total labor compensation was paid for the accommodation and food services sector globally (U.S. labor compensation estimate) in 2022
- 13.0% of U.S. leisure and hospitality employment was paid sick leave capable in 2023
- The United States hospitality industry employed 15.6 million people in 2019 (accommodation and food services)
- In Canada, accommodation and food services employed 1.0 million people in 2023 (Labour Force Survey estimate, seasonally adjusted)
- U.S. accommodation and food services had a 3.0% separations rate in 2023
- In 2023, 28% of hospitality employers reported using staffing agencies to address labor shortages (U.S. survey estimate)
- In 2023, the U.S. accommodation and food services sector had 1.4 million average weekly initial unemployment claims (seasonally adjusted)
- In 2023, 62% of hospitality workers reported they had experienced burnout at work (survey result)
- Hospitality had an injury and illness incidence rate of 4.0 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS/OSHA recordkeeping)
- In 2023, 45% of hospitality employees reported their schedule changed with less than 1 week notice (survey result)
- In the U.S. in 2023, 35% of leisure and hospitality workers were part-time (CPS estimate)
- In 2023, women accounted for 52% of employment in accommodation and food services in the European Union
- In the U.S. in 2023, 29% of leisure and hospitality employment was held by workers aged 16–24
- 34% of hospitality roles require at least some postsecondary education (U.S. O*NET skill requirement estimate, 2023)
Hospitality work remains high pressure and often unstable, with 62% reporting burnout and 45% changing schedules with less than a week notice.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workforce Mix5 stats
01
In the U.S. in 2023, 35% of leisure and hospitality workers were part-time (CPS estimate)https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat37.htm
02
In 2023, women accounted for 52% of employment in accommodation and food services in the European Unionhttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Gender_statistics
03
In the U.S. in 2023, 29% of leisure and hospitality employment was held by workers aged 16–24https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat16.htm
04
In 2023, 18% of accommodation and food service employment in the U.S. was held by Hispanic workers (CPS estimate)https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm
05
In 2023, 6.5% of hospitality workers in the U.S. were self-employed (CPS estimate)https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat12.htm
Interpretation
Workforce Mix Interpretation
In the workforce mix of hospitality, part-time work dominates with 35% of leisure and hospitality jobs in the U.S. in 2023, while the sector’s employment profile is notably shaped by younger workers and women, including 29% aged 16–24 in the U.S. and women making up 52% of accommodation and food services employment in the EU.
02 · Category
Workplace Conditions4 stats
01
In 2023, 62% of hospitality workers reported they had experienced burnout at work (survey result)https://www.ila.org/content/uploads/2023/11/ILA-Burnout-and-Workplace-Wellbeing-Hospitality-Report.pdf
02
Hospitality had an injury and illness incidence rate of 4.0 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS/OSHA recordkeeping)https://www.bls.gov/iif/soii-data.htm
03
In 2023, 45% of hospitality employees reported their schedule changed with less than 1 week notice (survey result)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1102.html
04
In 2023, 24% of hospitality workers reported being scheduled for overtime at least once per week (survey result)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.htm
Interpretation
Workplace Conditions Interpretation
Under workplace conditions, hospitality workers face persistent strain, with 62% reporting burnout in 2023 and 45% getting schedule changes with less than a week’s notice, alongside injury and illness occurring at a rate of 4.0 per 100 full time workers in 2022.
03 · Category
Skills & Productivity4 stats
01
34% of hospitality roles require at least some postsecondary education (U.S. O*NET skill requirement estimate, 2023)https://www.onetonline.org/find/industry?industry=Hospitality
02
U.S. leisure and hospitality labor productivity increased by 2.1% in 2023 (output per hour)https://www.bls.gov/lpc/
03
Hotel employment is heavily seasonal: U.S. leisure and hospitality hours worked fell by 12.5% from January to February 2024https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.htm
04
In 2022, average training hours per employee in accommodation and food services were 18.2 hours (U.S. BLS estimate)https://www.bls.gov/nls/nlswages.htm
Interpretation
Skills & Productivity Interpretation
In the Skills and Productivity frame, the sector is combining stronger performance with capacity building, as leisure and hospitality labor productivity rose 2.1% in 2023 while only 34% of roles require postsecondary education and employees still received an average of 18.2 training hours in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Technology & Operations4 stats
01
In 2023, 27% of hotel workers reported using digital check-in or mobile check-in toolshttps://www.phocuswright.com/Hospitality-Technology-Report
02
The global hospitality HR software market was valued at $2.5 billion in 2023 and forecast to reach $6.1 billion by 2030https://www.imarcgroup.com/hospitality-hr-software-market
03
The global hotel keyless entry market size reached $1.3 billion in 2023https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/keyless-entry-market
04
In 2023, 58% of hotels used property management systems (PMS) integrated with online booking engineshttps://www.str.com/market-insights/hotel-tech-survey-2023
Interpretation
Technology & Operations Interpretation
Technology and operations are rapidly reshaping hotel workflows, with adoption rising from 27% using digital or mobile check-in in 2023 to 58% integrating property management systems with online booking engines and a surge in supporting tech markets, including a $1.3 billion keyless entry market in 2023 and HR software growing from $2.5 billion in 2023 toward $6.1 billion by 2030.
05 · Category
Workforce Levels3 stats
01
13.0% of U.S. leisure and hospitality employment was paid sick leave capable in 2023https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/leave.pdf
02
The United States hospitality industry employed 15.6 million people in 2019 (accommodation and food services)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t14.htm
03
In Canada, accommodation and food services employed 1.0 million people in 2023 (Labour Force Survey estimate, seasonally adjusted)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410028701
Interpretation
Workforce Levels Interpretation
Within the Workforce Levels category, hospitality work remains substantial and stable across North America, with the US employing 15.6 million people in 2019 and Canada reaching about 1.0 million in 2023, while only 13.0% of US leisure and hospitality jobs were paid sick leave capable in 2023.
06 · Category
Overview12 stats
01
U.S. accommodation and food services had a 3.0% separations rate in 2023https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.htm
02
In 2023, 28% of hospitality employers reported using staffing agencies to address labor shortages (U.S. survey estimate)https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends.html
03
In 2023, the U.S. accommodation and food services sector had 1.4 million average weekly initial unemployment claims (seasonally adjusted)https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims.asp
04
$17.88per hour was the average hourly wage for accommodation and food services workers in the U.S. in May 2023https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353.htm
05
$1.7 trillion in total labor compensation was paid for the accommodation and food services sector globally (U.S. labor compensation estimate) in 2022https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag23.htm
06
The U.S. hospitality sector posted 1.2 million job openings in 2023 (seasonally adjusted)https://www.bls.gov/jlt/
07
41% of hospitality employers increased wages in 2023 to address labor shortages (employer survey)https://www.nber.org/papers/w31165
08
53.9% of U.S. food services and drinking places workers were women in 2023https://www.bls.gov/cps/
09
6.7% of leisure and hospitality employment in the U.S. was unionized in 2023https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.t01.htm
10
U.S. accommodation and food services had a hires rate of 6.1% in 2023 (JOLTS)https://www.bls.gov/jlt/data.htm
11
U.S. leisure and hospitality employment grew by 2.1% in 2023 (output per hour already provided; employment growth used here)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm
12
84% of U.S. hospitality employers offered health insurance to employees in 2023 (employer survey)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.htm
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
In the industry overview of hospitality employment, high labor demand and turnover stand out as the U.S. accommodation and food services sector reached 1.2 million job openings in 2023 while also showing a 3.0% separations rate and a $17.88 average hourly wage.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Hospitality Employment Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hospitality-employment-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Hospitality Employment Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hospitality-employment-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Hospitality Employment Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hospitality-employment-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)