The European hospitality industry continues to grapple with significant labour shortages and skills gaps, according to a January 2026 position paper published by HOTREC, the umbrella organisation for hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés in Europe.
The report, Skills and Labour Shortages in Hospitality – A Roadmap for Action, highlights persistent workforce challenges and proposes policy recommendations to support workforce development and labour supply across the sector.
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Labour and skills shortages persist despite post-pandemic recovery
The hospitality and hotel sector remains one of the EU’s largest employers, covering around 10 million jobs across more than 2 million businesses.
Despite some easing of recruitment pressures since the pandemic, many Member States still report significant workforce gaps, with the sector missing around 10% of its workforce on average.
#Shortages are especially acute in tourism-dependent economies such as Portugal, Spain, Greece, Romania and Czechia, impacting operational capacity during peak seasons.
The report notes that skills shortages have intensified as companies adapt to digitalisation, sustainability requirements and changing customer expectations. Employers increasingly cite needs for digital competences, sustainability-related skills and strong interpersonal abilities alongside traditional operational expertise.
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By GlobalDataThese longer-term trends are adding to recruitment difficulties and risk constraining growth as demand rises.
A four-pillar roadmap for workforce development
To address labour shortages and skills deficits, HOTREC sets out a comprehensive roadmap based on four key pillars:
- Education and training reforms to expand upskilling, reskilling and apprenticeship schemes, with curricula aligned to future skills needs. The report emphasises lifelong learning and stronger links between training providers and employers.
- Labour market measures aimed at enhancing the image and attractiveness of hospitality careers. This includes promoting diverse work arrangements and career pathways to help retain workers.
- Improved labour mobility within and beyond the EU, including better use of tools like the EURES job-matching network, more accessible legal migration pathways, and support for affordable housing for workers.
- Sustained funding at both EU and national levels to support training, mobility initiatives and other workforce development efforts, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Broader labour market trends and sector competitiveness
HOTREC’s analysis situates hospitality labour challenges within broader EU labour market conditions, including an ageing population, labour market slack and a fragile economic recovery.
The report suggests that without targeted policies and coordinated action by EU institutions, Member States and social partners, shortages could re-emerge quickly if demand grows or labour participation declines.
The roadmap underscores that addressing skills and labour shortages is critical not only for operational resilience in hotels, restaurants and related businesses but also for maintaining the sector’s contribution to employment, economic activity and tourism competitiveness across Europe.
This report adds to ongoing industry and policy discussions about workforce development challenges in hospitality, a sector that plays a vital role in European economies but continues to confront structural labour and skills constraints.
