The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) president and CEO Chip Rogers has spoken out to support the H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers (HIRE) Act, which was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by representative Tony Gonzales.
“As of May 2023, America had 9.8m job openings, but only 6.1m unemployed people to fill them. This workforce gap negatively impacts critical sectors of the American economy, especially hospitality,” Rogers says, quoting the US Bureau of Labour statistics.
“Thankfully, Congress is taking the initiative to address workforce shortages through the bipartisan H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers (HIRE) Act.”
Rogers continues: “The HIRE Act would make it easier for qualified workers to secure jobs in fields struggling to recruit and retain enough employees to meet demand. By growing the pool of seasonal workers, the bill would give seasonal small business hotels critical staffing relief and facilitate the hotel industry’s continued recovery. We look forward to working with members of Congress to send the HIRE Act to the president’s desk.”
According to Indeed, nearly 95,000 hotel jobs are currently open across the US.
