by LAURA LEE BLAKE, ESQ.
AAHOA PRESIDENT & CEO
As the hospitality industry continues to rebound, we are seeing encouraging signs of job growth across various sectors. According to the latest federal jobs report, professional and business services led the way with an impressive increase of 43,000 jobs. This is closely followed by health care (40,000), leisure and hospitality (31,000), and social assistance (25,000). These numbers demonstrate that the economy is bouncing back and that the hospitality industry is playing a critical role in driving job creation. AAHOA, whose members employ more than 1 million Americans, looks forward to seeing continued growth in the coming months.
While these are positive developments for the sectors mentioned, one of the biggest hurdles facing the hospitality industry remains the cap on H2-B Visas. With many businesses struggling to find qualified workers, there has been a growing need for skilled foreign workers to fill the gaps. This is why AAHOA continues to support the H-2B Returning Worker Exception Act of 2021 (H.R. 3897) and the Save Hotel Jobs Act (H.R. 3093).
