A few days ago, WTTC published data reflecting the current shortage of personnel in the industry in most developed countries (a fact that is now global).
Although the number of unfilled roles has decreased considerably, it is still estimated that more than 16,000 positions will remain unfilled in 2022.
In most cases, these are entry-level or basic roles: bar and restaurant servers or cleaning staff. Positions that traditionally require large volumes of labor, in a particularly labor-intensive industry.
The main reasons for having reached this point are several:
The historical concept that tourism and hospitality are industries where personal contact is essential. "We are a people-for-people industry" is a motto that has been firmly established for many.
The lack of investment in automation and technology in the sector, partly due to the aforementioned mantra, is that the hotel industry is often reluctant to invest in technology, lagging behind in this regard compared to other major global industries.
And recently, the pandemic has forced companies to lay off many professionals, who are now not considering returning to the sector.
Is less labor needed?
Considering that these are the reasons for the current lack of human resources in the hotel industry, we must take into account that:
More and more stays are taking place in non-hotel accommodations (up to 1/3 of the total in the US), where personal contact may be nonexistent. This means that, although the industry has deemed personal contact essential, many guests prefer a contactless experience, as they already enjoy when interacting with other industries in their daily lives.
In a recent study of thousands of traditional restaurant businesses in the US, more than half plan to invest in technology and automation by 2022. This means their operations will be more efficient, resulting in lower labor requirements.
The fact that the pandemic has driven many professionals away from the industry can be seen as a problem...or as an opportunity. An opportunity to make the technological leap, to digitize certain processes, to ensure, in short, that the people who work there do so because they provide more value than a machine, and not because they are cheaper than software that performs the same task.
The debate is on.
