How To Solve Summer Staffing Challenges in Hospitality
Summer is supposed to be the busy season—but when your hospitality team is short-staffed, it quickly becomes the stressful season. Restaurants are expected to add 490,000 jobs this summer, a significant increase from the previous year. In contrast, hotels are expected to add 14,000 jobs.
HR professionals in both types of hospitality industries are juggling more than ever. The usual job ads aren’t producing results, wages are up, and your team is stretched thin, especially during evenings and weekends.
What's Changed In Hospitality Hiring?
Hiring in hospitality isn’t just hard - it’s harder than ever. The 2024 Future of Hospitality Hiring survey found that 60% of employers say hiring is more difficult now than it was just a year ago, and 30% call the situation extremely challenging. The lingering impact of the pandemic has shifted workforce expectations, and the hospitality sector hasn’t fully recovered.
What Today's Job Seekers Want
Understanding why it's so hard to hire means looking at what job seekers actually want. Today's candidates are more selective. They want to know what's in it for them - and they expect employers to clearly communicate their benefits, workplace culture, and growth opportunities. The three top factors hospitality job seekers value are salary, schedule flexibility, and career growth opportunities. Here are a few reasons
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Flexible Scheduling
This might be the biggest change of all. The old 9-to-5 schedule or strict shift times just doesn’t work for everyone anymore. Many hospitality workers have a lot on their plates, and they want jobs that let them pick their shifts, trade with coworkers, or work part-time hours that fit their lifestyle. Companies that offer this kind of flexibility are much more appealing.
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Prompt, Reliable Pay
Workers expect to be paid quickly and accurately. Delays, errors, or a lack of transparency around pay can be major deterrents. Reliability here builds trust and loyalty.
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Career Growth
Working as a housekeeper isn’t just a job—it can be the first step in a long-term career in hospitality. With experience, reliability, and a strong work ethic, there’s a real opportunity to grow.
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Quick and Mobile-Friendly Applications
Most job seekers are looking for work on their smartphones. If your application process is lengthy or involves uploading multiple documents, you’re losing candidates before they even begin. They want a streamlined experience that can be completed in minutes, on the go.
According to Hireology’s Future of Hospitality Hiring 2024 survey, 91% of hospitality leaders report that hiring remains difficult, with housekeepers being the hardest role to fill.
Why Summer Is The Hardest Season For HR
As July rolls in, hospitality businesses across the country prepare for their busiest time of year. Guest bookings soar, events stack up, and customer expectations are higher than ever. But for HR teams, peak season often means peak stress. What’s meant to be a time of growth and profit can quickly turn into a scramble to stay fully staffed and maintain service standards. Traditional hiring methods struggle to keep up for a few big reasons
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More Guest, Fewer Workers
Hotels, restaurants, and event venues get slammed, and staffing needs spike. At the same time, regular employees often take vacation, shrinking your team just when you need more help. Traditional hiring just isn’t fast enough to fill the gap.
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The Summer Job Seeker Dilemma
Students and others looking for summer work want flexible schedules and fast onboarding. If your hiring process is slow or rigid, they’ll move on to a job that fits their needs—fast.
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Burnout and Turnover Rise
When you're short-staffed, your current team picks up the slack. That leads to stress, burnout, and eventually, people quitting—especially after summer ends. It creates a cycle that's hard to break.
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Rushed Hiring Hurts Quality
In a rush to fill positions, it’s tempting to lower your standards. Without strong pre-screening, you risk bringing on the wrong people—causing long-term problems like turnover, poor guest experiences, and overworked teams.
How Staffing Agencies Can Simplify The Hiring Process
Traditional hiring just can't keep up in today’s fast-moving market, with high guest expectations and workers who want flexibility. Partnering with a staffing agency during peak seasons like summer is a smart and cost-effective solution for HR managers. It minimizes the risk of understaffing, prevents burnout among permanent employees, and ensures that businesses can meet increased customer demand without compromising service quality.
Let Labor Finders Handle Summer Staffing, So You Can Focus on Your Guests
With just one call, we’re ready to handle all your staffing needs. Our team handles the whole hiring process so your HR team can stay focused on running the business and keeping your guests happy. Here's what we can help with
- Recruiting & Screening: includes background checks, drug tests, and skills assessments.
- Hassle-Free Hiring & Onboarding: no more piles of paperwork. We handle all the hiring and onboarding for our W2 employees.
- Payroll & Taxes: we process payroll, handle tax withholdings, and manage reporting - saving you time and ensuring compliance.
Whether you need someone for a day, a week, or all summer long, we've got you covered withour reliable W2 employees. Staff smart and stress less with Labor Finders during your busiest deasons. Click here to connect with your local branch to help ease your summer hospitality staffing stress.
