More than two-thirds of travel and tourism firms say they are understaffed, according to a recent worldwide survey.
The poll was carried out for the Tourism Employment Expansion Mandate (Teem) project, a global initiative which is supporting the post-pandemic recovery of tourism’s workforce.
Teem was launched in November 2022 by the Jamaican tourism minister Edmund Bartlett (pictured) and the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, which he co-chairs.
Responses to the survey came from across Europe, the Americas, Australasia, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, representing sectors such as agencies, tour operators, cruise lines, airlines, airports and hospitality.
The survey found an “alarming deficit” with 68% of respondents saying they are currently understaffed, with shortages described as “critical” in roles such as food preparation, technology, AI, sales and reservations.
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The staff shortage is largely blamed on the image of the sector, with 88% of respondents saying the problem is caused by travel and tourism’s reputation.
Younger workers are harder to recruit, found the survey, with 62% of respondents saying those aged 25 to 45 are the most difficult talent to attract.
Talent is choosing to pursue jobs in technology and pharmaceuticals rather than the travel industry, said Teem.
Furthermore, eight out of 10 respondents said they leave job vacancies open longer than in previous years.
Teem said the findings show that the global recovery of tourism is “threatened” by the staffing shortages and the problem is “more critical than ever”.
The research was presented last week at the Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Kingston, Jamaica.
It marked the fact that the United Nations had declared February 17 as the annual Global Tourism Resilience Day.
As well as the survey findings, Teem highlighted how the sector will require 8.4 million new recruits by 2025 – with more demand for specialised skills such as data analysis, digital marketing and advanced customer service.
The next stage in the research aims to discover reasons for travel and tourism workers moving to other industries.
Bartlett said: “Resilience means we prepare for crises rather than react to them. Let us not have gone through this pandemic without having learned the lessons.”
He said the sector can share best practices and new technologies to help workers “thrive” within travel and tourism.
The minister will discuss the work of Project Teem and resilience of the industry at ITB in Berlin, at the ‘New Narratives for Work’ panel session on March 8.