The world’s battered hospitality and tourism industry has a long way to go to recover from the wrecking effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey of workers conducted by Florida Atlantic University. These information has been gathered by FAU’s research team consisting of Dr. Peter Ricci, Dr. Soyoung Park, Dr. Anil Bilgihan, and Dr. Ye Zhang from registered certificate takers.
There have been over 80,000 registered for the program from 165 countries and territories.
The survey was created to gather responses from current and former hospitality and tourism workers. The questions related to their perceptions on COVID-19 and its short- and long-term impacts on the industry, their career prospects (both prior, current, and future), and so on.
The survey says roughly 70 percent of the more than 4,000 respondents felt COVID-19 would have a negative long-term impact on the industry, while 65 percent said they felt the industry did not protect its employees better than other sectors.
More than one-third of respondents indicated they would be seeking employment outside the industry over the next year. In the meantime, desperately needed entry-level workers are more likely than not to leave the industry or their organizations, the poll showed. Survey said employers were too quick to fire or furlough them and that employers cared more about stock value than the workers themselves.
Even as hotels, restaurants and other places of employment ramp back up to full staffing, they face a severe shortage of workers, and U.S. colleges and universities can expect a one- or two-year decline in hospitality and tourism enrollment, said Peter Ricci, Ed.D., director of FAU’S hospitality and tourism management program.
In Florida alone, hospitality and tourism is a $111.7 billion annual business with about 1.5 million employees, according to the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association trade group.
In March 2020, with COVID-19 starting to disrupt nearly every aspect of American life and many employees out of work, FAU decided to help hospitality workers continue their education by offering a free hospitality and tourism management certificate through the College of Business Executive Education Department. More than 77,000 people worldwide registered for the certificate, which normally costs $900.
Ricci posts 500 to 1,000 entry-level to senior-management job openings a week. He said employers are desperate to attract talent, with some offering $500 signing bonuses for new employees as well as fast-track promotion opportunities.
Just prior to the pandemic, industry leaders were attempting to hold off on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, according to Ricci. Now the average starting wage for entry-level hotel workers has regularly surpassed that mark.“The shortage in hospitality workers cannot continue if the industry is to sustain long-term growth and profitability,” he said.
Source : FAU
