U.S. Hotel Unemployment Slips Below 30 Percent for First Time Since March
Photo Credit: U.S. hotel unemployment dropped to 29.9 percent in September but remains roughly four times higher than the national average. Pixabay / andrewbecks
Skift Take
Job gains are great news for hotels. But the U.S. Labor Department figures only paint one part of the full picture of an extremely troubled industry.
The U.S. hotel industry continues to add jobs following a catastrophic level of unemployment seen in April during the coronavirus pandemic. But industry leaders aren’t exactly celebrating.
U.S. hotel unemployment was 29.9 percent in September, a nearly 20-point improvement from the 48.9 percent posted in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. But total U.S. unemployment remains significantly better than the hotel sector. The national unemployment number was 7.9 percent for the month.
While 51,000 hotel jobs were added in September, industry analysts continue to emphasize hotels are faring significantly worse relative to the overall economy.
“Unfortunately, the unemployment rate is atrociously high and, without some form of governme
