U.S. Travel Industry Jobs Ended 2016 With Modest Gains and Smaller Growth
Photo Credit: The U.S. travel industry added about 33.3 percent fewer jobs in 2016 than were added in 2015. Pictured are waiters at the Plaza Hotel's Oak Bar in New York City. Flickr / Jazz Guy
Skift Take
As much as we wish 2016 was a thing of the past, we took a look at the U.S. travel jobs growth for last year and found that while it wasn't all bad news -- and many jobs were added -- that growth wasn't as robust as the previous year because of global events and a litany of other factors.
As if 2016 hadn't already brought enough bad news to travel brands in virtually every corner of the world, the events of last year -- disease, terrorism, political unrest, and economic uncertainty, to name a few -- have yet another bleak outcome in U.S. jobs.
Some 69,900 travel-related jobs, such as those in hotels, travel agencies, airports, and museums, were added in 2016, according to data from the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) latest jobs report that details full-year 2016 employment data for the U.S.
Though that's a gain for U.S. travel jobs, about 33.3 percent fewer jobs were added in 2016 than the 93,200 jobs added in 2015. Weaker demand in both international and domestic travel in the U.S. likely influenced hiring decisions and last year we heard various travel brand CEOs from Hilton Worldwide's Christopher Nassetta to InterContinental Hotels Group's Richard Solomons blame weak bookings and global events for poor quarterly performanc
