ATLANTA, Ga., Jan. 10 – AAHOA President and CEO Cecil Staton issued the following statement in response to new employment figures released by the Department of Labor showing the U.S. economy added 145,000 jobs in December. The unemployment rate remained at 3.5%, making it the 22nd consecutive month of being at or below 4 percent:
“America’s hotel owners continue to create more jobs in communities across the nation and help more people enter the workforce. The leisure and hospitality sector sustained its upward trend in hiring by adding 40,000 jobs in December to end the year with 388,000 jobs created, an 8 percent increase over 2018. The industry achieved this growth despite a national decline in total jobs created for the year relative to 2018. Hotel owners are optimistic about 2020 and the prospects for continued economic expansion.”
