---
title: "Why Aren't Hospitality Workers Coming Back?"
description: "Former hoteliers explain the real reasons behind the hiring crisis"
published: 2022-09-12T00:00:00+00:00
author: "ONDA 편집팀"
category: "Insights"
image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65cedb7e3b5674f24ea857c1_Frame_20.jpg"
canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=hotelrieoneun-wae-hotelro-dolaoji-anheulgga
locale: en
---
# Why Aren't Hospitality Workers Coming Back?

> **_"International travel is back. Why won't travel agents return to work? This is the real crisis"_** [**_(JoongAng Ilbo)_**](https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/25084730#home)
> **_"It's peak summer season, but hotels can't find staff to work"_** [**_(Asia Economy)_**](https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/2022080716352491153)

Hotels are riding the reopening wave. But there's a catch: they can't find enough people to actually run the place.

### Hotels are bouncing back. So why the staffing crisis?

ONDA's data shows hotel revenue in H1 2022 jumped **225% year-over-year**. Korea's big three—Lotte, Shinsegae, and Shilla—also [posted revenue gains](http://news.bizwatch.co.kr/article/consumer/2022/08/23/0013).

The main driver: [foreign arrivals surged 93% compared to last year's H1](https://news.mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2022080212460742986), thanks to relaxed border controls. And on September 3, Korea [scrapped pre-departure COVID tests](https://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01466166632455856&mediaCodeNo=257) entirely, so demand should keep climbing.

But here's the problem: a Korea Hotel Association survey found that **hotels are running 16% short on headcount** on average. [Accommodation industry employment figures](https://www.index.go.kr/potal/main/EachDtlPageDetail.do?idx_cd=1651) tell the same story—around 70,000 workers in 2019, then a drop to 50,000 in 2020 when COVID hit.

Hotels downsized hard during the pandemic. Now they're trying to scale back up, but former employees aren't answering the call. Job insecurity soured people on the industry. So did the pay and working conditions.

It's not just hotels. [**Travel agencies say most employees who left during COVID haven't returned either.**](https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/25084730#home) Many agencies kept staff on furlough and collected government subsidies covering 90% of wages. Bringing people back means giving up that support—which isn't an easy trade.

### The rest of the world isn't doing much better

What about hotels abroad?

In Europe, 2.1 million hospitality workers left during the pandemic. By early 2022, **_only 50% had come back_**.

![(Source: www.joblist.com)](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407fc969bf3325477dc94_6319a817b2439a7d3fe3a7f3_Hospitality.png)

The **'2021 U.S. Job Market Report'** found that **_only 40% of former hospitality workers chose to return_**. The top reason people stayed away: "I prefer working in a different environment" (58%). Low wages and poor benefits also ranked high.

Anyone who's worked in hotels knows the deal: 24-hour shift rotations, little control over your schedule. People want time flexibility—and hospitality doesn't offer it.

### What hotels need to be thinking about right now

Would hospitality workers have left if there'd been no pandemic? **_My answer: maybe not in the same numbers, but the cracks were already there._**

![ONDA CEO Oh Hyun-seok presenting at Korea Hotel Show 2022](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407f7df2123b0633b1ce2_62ce59f09ceda3efb9ab70e2_62ba6241cbcedf5ad7fbb8bd_IMG_0437-pp_2520_1_.jpeg)

**_"Job security took a hit—people now know pandemics can happen again. And a lot of workers found better work-life balance outside hospitality._**

**_Hotels can't operate the way they used to without addressing this. We need to rethink the fundamentals."_**

Here's one angle: while other industries rapidly adopted tech, hotels moved slower. And that directly affects working conditions. Case in point: traditional check-in means front desk staff need to be on-site 24/7. But self-service kiosks let guests handle it themselves—no staff required.

**Tech makes things easier for guests and gives employees more scheduling freedom. Hotel staff can focus on the human side of hospitality—the parts tech can't replicate. And hotels get operational efficiency without needing to staff every function around the clock.**

### Hotels and tech: what do hoteliers actually think?

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407fc969bf3325477dca2_6319a8e776a51a615704ee3f_E1_84_92_E1_85_A9_E1_84_90_E1_85_A6_E1_86_AF_E1_84_85_E1_85_B5_E1_84_8B_E1_85_A5_E1_84_80_E1_85_A9_E1_84_80_E1_85_A2_E1_86_A8_E1_84_80_E1_85_A7_E1_86_BC_E1_84_92_E1_85_A5_E1_86_B7.png)

A survey by [Hotel Operation.com](http://hoteloperation.com/) and Benchmark Research Partners (May–June 2022, 118 hoteliers) found that **_80% of hoteliers say tech helps them hit their goals and makes their work more efficient_**. Another 80% believe tech improves the guest experience.

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407fc969bf3325477dc9e_6319a901db772e4e514fa590_E1_84_92_E1_85_A9_E1_84_90_E1_85_A6_E1_86_AF_E1_84_85_E1_85_B5_E1_84_8B_E1_85_A5_E1_84_90_E1_85_A6_E1_84_8F_E1_85_B3.png)

That said, over 60% reported disappointment when tech vendors overpromised and underdelivered.

Still, **80% of hoteliers want to learn more about tech**. They see the value.

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407fc969bf3325477dc98_6319ace294f6c99366ebf26f_E1_84_92_E1_85_A9_E1_84_90_E1_85_A6_E1_86_AF_E1_84_85_E1_85_B5_E1_84_8B_E1_85_A5_E1_84_8B_E1_85_A8_E1_84_89_E1_85_A1_E1_86_AB.png)

**_But budget constraints, lack of training, and insufficient support are blocking hotels from going digital._**

### The industry has to change if it wants people to come back

ONDA employs a lot of people who came from hospitality, so we've heard the inside story firsthand:

"The staffing crisis stems mostly from pandemic-era layoffs. At the hotel I worked at, revenue tanked in 2020. Occupancy fell below 50%. Social distancing killed the events business—companies canceled or postponed bookings en masse.

When revenue drops, labor is the first cost you cut. Hotels pushed unpaid leave. They had salespeople moonlighting in F&B. People worked jobs outside their department just to stay employed.

This went on for nearly two years. Terms like 'leaving hospitality' and 'exiting tourism' became common. I watched former colleagues pivot to entirely different industries.

Now demand is back—weddings, events, occupancy rates recovering. But the people who left during COVID aren't interested in coming back. Even if they return to tourism, they pick sectors that were less affected.

Beyond COVID, wages are an issue too. An article posted on the Korea Hotel Association website about [a decade ago](http://hotelskorea.or.kr/career/index_1.php?b_id=008&b_code=&idx=1473&page=1&search_key=&search_val=&mode=view) cited salary ranges that aren't much different from 2022. Even global chain hotels pay poorly. Stagnant wages are another reason people aren't coming back."

Hotels and travel companies have a few short-term fixes. But they also need to think long-term. If another external shock hits, the same thing will happen—unless the industry fixes its structural issues.

**If hospitality becomes a better place to work, people will naturally follow.**