With hotel and lodging employment in the United States reaching about 1.9 million people in 2023 alongside 62.0% average occupancy and $17.74 average hourly wages, this post dives into the key HR and workforce statistics shaping hiring, pay, unions, safety, and technology across the industry.
Key Takeaways
- 16.8% of hotel employees in the United States were union members (2023)
- 6.8% of hotel employees in the United States were nonunion workers covered by a union contract (2023)
- 13.4% of hotel workers were covered by a collective bargaining agreement (2023)
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a job growth rate of about 3% for lodging-related occupations from 2022 to 2032
- U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks' to grow about 3% from 2022 to 2032
- U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Cooks' to grow 4% from 2022 to 2032
- Hotel occupancy in the U.S. averaged 62.0% in 2023 (monthly average blended)
- U.S. hotel room revenue per available room (RevPAR) was $79.17 in 2023
- U.S. hotels reported 2023 average daily rate (ADR) of $154.44
- Work Institute and Deloitte estimate employee turnover cost at 33% of the departing employee’s annual salary (benchmark)
- Gallup found that actively disengaged employees cost U.S. businesses $450–$500 billion annually (engagement cost)
- The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported 2,000+ charges related to disability in accommodation/food services (FY 2023)
- 67% of hotels use some form of performance management software (2022 HR tech survey)
- The global HR software market reached $34.1 billion in 2023 (Grand View Research)
- The HR software market is forecast to grow at a 11.2% CAGR from 2024 to 2030 (Grand View Research)
In 2023 US hotels employed about 1.9 million people, with modest union coverage and rising HR and labor pressure.
Workforce Metrics
116.8% of hotel employees in the United States were union members (2023)[1]
Verified26.8% of hotel employees in the United States were nonunion workers covered by a union contract (2023)[1]
Verified313.4% of hotel workers were covered by a collective bargaining agreement (2023)[1]
Verified4The U.S. hotel industry employed about 1.9 million people in 2023[2]
Directional5Hotel employment in the U.S. totaled about 1,743,000 workers in 2022[2]
Single source6About 1,755,000 people were employed in accommodation services (including hotels) in the U.S. in 2023[2]
Verified7The U.S. leisure and hospitality sector (includes hotels) had 16.8 million jobs in 2023[3]
Verified8The U.S. leisure and hospitality sector added 1.5 million jobs from 2021 to 2023[4]
Verified9The average hourly wage for hotel workers in the U.S. was $17.74 in May 2023[2]
Directional10The median hourly wage for lodging workers in the U.S. was $16.97 in May 2023[2]
Single source11Global hotel industry employment exceeded 9 million jobs in 2023[5]
Verified12The hospitality sector is among the largest employers of youth globally; youth employment share is 20% in hospitality in many countries (2018-2020 pooled data)[6]
Verified13The hospitality sector had a 10.4% share of U.S. employees working part-time involuntarily in 2023 (BLS CPS)[7]
Verified14In the EU, accommodation and food service activities employed about 7.8 million people in 2022 (Eurostat)[8]
Directional15In the EU, accommodation and food services activities accounted for 4.0% of total employment in 2022 (Eurostat)[8]
Single sourceWorkforce Metrics Interpretation
In 2023, the U.S. hotel industry employed about 1.9 million people, and while only 13.4% of hotel workers were covered by a collective bargaining agreement, average pay was still $17.74 per hour, highlighting that union coverage and earnings are not moving in lockstep.
Industry Trends
1The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a job growth rate of about 3% for lodging-related occupations from 2022 to 2032[9]
Verified2U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks' to grow about 3% from 2022 to 2032[10]
Verified3U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Cooks' to grow 4% from 2022 to 2032[11]
Verified4U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Housekeeping cleaners' to grow 4% from 2022 to 2032[12]
Directional5U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Waiters and waitresses' to grow about 4% from 2022 to 2032[13]
Single source6U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Bartenders' to grow 2% from 2022 to 2032[14]
Verified7U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Dishwashers' to grow 5% from 2022 to 2032[15]
Verified8U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Laundry and dry-cleaning workers' to grow 1% from 2022 to 2032[16]
Verified9U.S. BLS projects employment for 'Managers, all other' to grow 7% from 2022 to 2032[17]
Directional10The global accommodation and food services sector employed 1.4 billion across all tourism-related employment categories (WTTC, 2019)[5]
Single source11The World Travel & Tourism Council estimated that Travel & Tourism directly supported 126 million jobs worldwide in 2019[18]
Verified12The WTTC estimated 9.8% of world GDP was supported by Travel & Tourism in 2019[18]
Verified13Eurostat reported employment in accommodation and food services increased by 1.6% in 2022 (y/y)[8]
VerifiedIndustry Trends Interpretation
Across hotel and related roles, projected growth rates cluster around 3 to 5 percent for many frontline jobs, with the biggest standout being managers all other at 7 percent, while the sector overall remains massive with 1.4 billion tourism linked accommodation and food services jobs worldwide in 2019.
Performance Metrics
1Hotel occupancy in the U.S. averaged 62.0% in 2023 (monthly average blended)[19]
Verified2U.S. hotel room revenue per available room (RevPAR) was $79.17 in 2023[20]
Verified3U.S. hotels reported 2023 average daily rate (ADR) of $154.44[21]
Verified4Gallup reported 23% of U.S. employees are not engaged in their jobs (2023 global workplace report)[22]
Directional5Gallup reported 18% of employees are actively disengaged globally (2023)[22]
Single source6Workplace safety claims for hospitality increased by 7% in 2022 in some U.S. datasets (OSHA/insurance reporting trend)[23]
Verified7In the U.S., leisure and hospitality had 1.9 workplace injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS)[24]
Verified8BLS reports total recordable incident rates of 2.8 per 100 full-time workers in accommodation and food services in 2022[24]
Verified9BLS reported incidence rates declined from 2021 to 2022 for accommodation and food services by 0.2 cases per 100 FTE (2022 data)[24]
Directional10In 2022, the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries shows hospitality-related fatality counts totaled 200 (accommodation/food services category)[24]
Single source11U.S. OSHA reported 47,000 total workplace injuries in 'Accommodation and food services' in 2022[23]
Verified12U.S. OSHA reported a total of 43,000 recordable injuries in the hospitality sector in 2022[23]
VerifiedPerformance Metrics Interpretation
Even with strong performance in 2023, with hotel occupancy averaging 62.0% and RevPAR reaching $79.17 alongside a $154.44 ADR, U.S. hospitality HR still faces persistent workforce and safety challenges, including 23% of employees not engaged and a 7% rise in workplace safety claims in 2022 while the sector recorded 2.8 total recordable incidents per 100 full-time workers and 200 fatalities.
Cost Analysis
1Work Institute and Deloitte estimate employee turnover cost at 33% of the departing employee’s annual salary (benchmark)[25]
Verified2Gallup found that actively disengaged employees cost U.S. businesses $450–$500 billion annually (engagement cost)[22]
Verified3The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported 2,000+ charges related to disability in accommodation/food services (FY 2023)[26]
Verified4The U.S. EEOC reported 3,000+ charges related to race discrimination in accommodation/food services (FY 2023)[26]
DirectionalCost Analysis Interpretation
In accommodation and food services, the scale of workplace harm is striking as disability charges top 2,000 and race discrimination charges exceed 3,000 in FY 2023, while disengagement costs U.S. businesses $450 to $500 billion annually and turnover can run about 33% of a departing employee’s annual salary.
User Adoption
167% of hotels use some form of performance management software (2022 HR tech survey)[27]
VerifiedUser Adoption Interpretation
In 2022, 67% of hotels were already using some form of performance management software, showing that this tools-based approach to managing employee performance has become the norm in the hotel industry.
Market Size
1The global HR software market reached $34.1 billion in 2023 (Grand View Research)[28]
Verified2The HR software market is forecast to grow at a 11.2% CAGR from 2024 to 2030 (Grand View Research)[28]
Verified3The global applicant tracking system market size was $1.5 billion in 2023 (MarketsandMarkets)[29]
Verified4The applicant tracking system market is projected to reach $5.8 billion by 2030 (MarketsandMarkets)[29]
Directional5The global human capital management (HCM) software market was valued at $37.5 billion in 2023 (Fortune Business Insights)[30]
Single source6The HCM software market is forecast to grow at 10.5% CAGR from 2024 to 2032 (Fortune Business Insights)[30]
Verified7The global HR analytics software market was $2.2 billion in 2023 (MarketsandMarkets)[31]
Verified8The HR analytics software market is projected to reach $6.4 billion by 2030 (MarketsandMarkets)[31]
Verified9The global workforce management (WFM) software market size was $10.6 billion in 2023 (Fortune Business Insights)[32]
Directional10The workforce management software market forecast is $19.4 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights)[32]
Single source11The global talent management software market reached $9.9 billion in 2023 (MarketsandMarkets)[33]
Verified12The talent management software market is projected to grow at 12.3% CAGR to $32.4 billion by 2030 (MarketsandMarkets)[33]
VerifiedMarket Size Interpretation
Across HR technology categories for the hotel industry, markets are set to surge, with figures like applicant tracking growing from $1.5 billion in 2023 to $5.8 billion by 2030 and the global HR analytics market rising from $2.2 billion to $6.4 billion over the same period.
References
- 1bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
- 2bls.gov/oes/current/naics.htm
- 3bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm
- 4bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-employment.htm
- 7bls.gov/cps/tables.htm
- 9bls.gov/ooh/
- 10bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/hotel-motel-and-resort-desk-clerks.htm
- 11bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/cooks.htm
- 12bls.gov/ooh/cleaning-and-housekeeping/cleaners.htm
- 13bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/waiters-and-waitresses.htm
- 14bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/bartenders.htm
- 15bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/dishwashers.htm
- 16bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/laundry-and-dry-cleaning-workers.htm
- 17bls.gov/ooh/management/other-managers.htm
- 19bls.gov/cew/
- 24bls.gov/iif/
- 5wttc.org/research/economic-impact
- 18wttc.org/research/economic-impact
- 6ilo.org/global/topics/youth-employment/lang--en/index.htm
- 8ec.europa.eu/eurostat/
- 20revparguru.com/blog/us-hotels-revpar-2023/
- 21statista.com/statistics/194730/us-hotel-average-daily-rate/
- 22gallup.com/workplace/236927/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
- 23osha.gov/data
- 25www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends.html
- 26eeoc.gov/statistics
- 27gartner.com/en/human-resources
- 28grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/hr-software-market
- 29marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/applicant-tracking-system-market-177914812.html
- 31marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/hr-analytics-software-market-195133940.html
- 33marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/talent-management-market-183111423.html
- 30fortunebusinessinsights.com/human-capital-management-hcm-market-102866
- 32fortunebusinessinsights.com/workforce-management-market-105430