U.S. Hospitality Jobs Rose Sharply in June But Hotels Still Operating With Half the Staff
Photo Credit: While the overall U.S. leisure and hospitality unemployment rate fell to 29 percent in June, the hotel sector still faces 43 percent unemployment. Wikimedia / Andrewrabbott
Skift Take
A strong jobs report is a good sign for the U.S. economy but may hinder hotel organizations in their push for further government stimulus.
The U.S. hospitality industry posted strong job gains for the second month in a row, but hoteliers shouldn’t rejoice quite yet.
The leisure and hospitality sector added 2.1 million jobs in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. That caused the sector's unemployment rate to fall from the 36 percent seen in May to 29 percent. The gains accounted for roughly 40 percent of the 4.8 million jobs added to the entire U.S. economy last month.
But hotels still face difficult times. While 239,000 accommodation-specific jobs came back in June, unemployment in th
