In a new report released today by the American Hotel &
Lodging Association, the U.S. hotel industry is expected to reach 1,863,026 jobs
in 2021, which represents a more than 20 percent loss compared with the number
of total hotel jobs in 2019, which were 2,341,271. These numbers are direct
hotel property jobs and do not include job losses from other industries
supported by the hotel industry, according to the report, which was sourced by
Oxford Economics.
The report lists job totals for each of the 50 U.S. states
plus Washington, D.C., for 2019, 2020 and 2021. The top five states with the
most expected job losses compared with 2019 totals are, in order, California,
Florida, New York, Nevada and Hawaii. These five states account for about 8
percent of the total expected losses compared with 2019 totals. Demonstrating
the extent of the job losses in California, the state’s projected decrease of
67,169 jobs represents more than 27,600 more lost jobs compared with No. 2
Florida’s expected decrease of 39,560 jobs.
The report comes less than a week after U.S. Sen. Brian
Schatz (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) introduced the Save
Hotel Jobs Act to the U.S. Congress. The bill calls for targeted federal
relief to the hotel industry workforce, including up to three months of full
payroll support, according to AHLA. AHLA and the hospitality union Unite Here joined
forces to support the bill.
"While many other hard-hit industries have received
targeted federal relief, the hotel industry has not," said AHLA president
and CEO Chip Rogers in a statement. "We need Congress to pass the Save
Hotel Jobs Act to help hotels retain and rehire employees until travel demand,
especially business travel, begins to come back."
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