Staffing Trends
The State of the Hospitality Staffing Shortage in 2026
Hospitality employers know how quickly staffing needs can change. A busy weekend, large event, seasonal rush or unexpected call-out can leave hotels, restaurants and event venues needing additional workers with little notice.
In 2026, the hospitality workforce challenge isn't simply finding people. Employers also have to manage changing demand, employee expectations, turnover, and the need to keep service levels consistent.
For hospitality leaders, that makes workforce planning just as important as recruiting.
Here's a look at the state of hospitality staffing in 2026, the workforce challenges employers are facing, and how businesses can prepare.
“The hotel workforce is projected to grow by more than 30,000 jobs in 2026, bringing direct hotel operations employment to approximately 2.2 million.”
What’s Driving Hospitality Staffing Challenges in 2026?
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Hospitality Demand Can Change Quickly
Hotels, restaurants, and event venues don't always have consistent staffing requirements. Weekends, holidays, tourism seasons, conferences, and special events can suddenly increase demand.
Employer takeaway: Your workforce plan needs to account for your busiest periods—not just your average week.
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Workers Have More Expectations Around Scheduling
Workers may compare schedules, pay, commute, hours and the type of assignment before accepting a job. For hospitality employers, offering flexibility isn't always possible, especially when nights, weekends, and holidays are some of the busiest times. However, providing clear expectations and as much scheduling consistency as possible can make a difference.
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Turnover Creates Ongoing Staffing Gaps
In July 2026, the leisure and hospitality industry recorded approximately 885,000 hires, according to the BLS. The industry's hiring rate was 5.2%, showing the significant amount of hiring activity taking place across the sector.
For employers, that level of workforce movement can make ongoing recruiting and staffing preparation especially important. Having a plan can help reduce the pressure on existing employees.
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Some Hospitality Roles Are Harder to Fill
Housekeepers, banquet staff, food service workers, cooks, dishwashers, event setup/cleanup workers and other positions can become especially difficult to fill when many hospitality businesses are hiring at the same time.
These staffing challenges are also being shaped by broader changes across the hospitality industry. Learn more about the hospitality workforce trends employers should be watching and what they could mean for your workforce strategy.
How Hospitality Employers Can Prepare for Staffing Gaps
Staffing shortages can quickly affect guest service, employee workloads, and day-to-day operations. While you can’t predict every call-out or sudden increase in demand, you can prepare for many common staffing challenges before they happen.
Here are a few ways hospitality employers can build a more flexible workforce plan.
Identify your Most Vulnerable Shifts and Roles
Start by looking at where staffing gaps create the biggest problems for your operation.
Ask:
- Which positions are constantly difficult to fill?
- Which shifts experience the most call-outs?
- Are there certain days, weekends, or seasons when you regularly need more people?
For a hotel, that could mean needing additional housekeepers during high-occupancy weekends. A restaurant may need more food service workers during holidays or local events. An event venue may need a larger crew for setup, cleanup or guest services when its schedule gets busy.
Reviewing previous schedules, overtime, call-outs, and busy periods can help you identify where your workforce is most vulnerable.
Once you know where problems are most likely to happen, you can create a plan for covering those positions before you're short-staffed.
Build a Staffing Plan Before Demand Increases
Hospitality staffing needs can change quickly, but many busy periods aren’t a surprise.
Seasonal tourism, holidays, conferences, weddings, sporting events, and other local events can all increase demand. Use what you already know about your business to estimate when you’ll need additional workers.
Use previous occupancy, event schedules, reservations, and seasonal patterns to identify when you'll likely need additional workers. The important part is having those conversations before your existing employees are already stretched thin.
Make It Easier for Candidates to Say Yes
When you're competing for hospitality workers, a complicated hiring process can make it harder to fill open positions.
Keep applications simple. Clearly communicate:
- Pay
- Shift
- Location
- Job duties
- Physical requirements
- Assignment length
Then look at your hiring process. How many steps does someone have to complete before they can start? How quickly are you following up with qualified applicants?
Clear expectations also help candidates decide whether the job is actually a good fit before their first shift.
Create a Plan for Call-Outs and Last-Minute Gaps
Even the best staffing plan won't prevent every last-minute problem.
An employee gets sick. A large group books unexpectedly. An event needs additional workers. Several employees call out on the same weekend.
The question employers should answer ahead of time is simple: What will we do when our original staffing plan doesn't work? Identify who is responsible for finding coverage, which employees may be available for additional shifts, and when you should contact an outside staffing partner.
Use Temporary Staffing When Your Team Needs Backup
Even a strong internal hiring strategy can't prevent every staffing gap. Seasonal demand, large events, employee absences, and unexpected increases in business can create workforce needs that your permanent staff may not be able to cover.
A temporary staffing partner can help hospitality employers add workers when they need additional support without relying solely on their internal recruiting team.
Labor Finders helps businesses find workers for hospitality roles, including housekeeping, food service, event staffing, setup and cleanup, and other general labor needs.
Having a staffing partner in place before demand increases gives employers another option when the original staffing plan doesn't go as expected.
When Should You Consider Temporary Hospitality Staffing?
Temporary staffing can be especially useful when:
- Occupancy or reservations increase
- You're preparing for a large event or conference
- Seasonal demand is approaching
- Employees call out unexpectedly
- You're struggling to fill certain shifts
- Your existing staff is working too much overtime
- You need help while recruiting permanent employees
Prepare for Hospitality Staffing Needs Before They Become Staffing Problems
Hospitality demand can change quickly. The businesses that are prepared don't wait until they're already short-staffed to decide what to do next.
Review your busiest periods, identify the positions that are hardest to cover and create a backup plan for unexpected absences or increases in demand.
Labor Finders helps hospitality employers find temporary workers when their existing workforce needs additional support.
Need help preparing your workforce for your next busy period? Learn more about our services and how to request staff from your local Labor Finders office.