Worcester Business Journal

F O C U S M E E T I N G S G U I D E & T O U R I S M BY EMILY MICUCCI Special to WBJ D uring the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions arose about how the new way of conducting businesses – mostly virtually – would reshape how things were done well into the future. at question had larger implications for some industries than others, and the hospitality sector was among those at the top of the list. Yet, new workforce data and industry leaders in Central Massachusetts suggest any inkling that people wouldn't travel or meet at the same rates as they did before COVID appears to be unfounded. "I would say the lion's share of people still want to get together: break bread, have a cocktail," said Steve Gardiner, general manager of the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center for the last seven years. With a return to in-person meetings – and sleeping and eating – for business people, a major challenge has been to ratchet staff levels back up to meet the demand for services. ankfully for Gardiner and his hospitality industry colleagues, that tall order seems to be on its way to fulfillment. In 2022, the leisure and hospitality workforce in the Greater Worcester metro area rose to an 23,925 average for year, closing in on the pre-pan- demic level of 25,700 set in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS defines the metro area as Worcester County and Wyndham County, Connecticut. Hotels and motels in Central Mas- sachusetts will see the largest growth in employment levels of any indus- try subset between 2020 and 2030, according to the Massachusetts Exec- utive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. is is largely driven by COVID-19, which shuttered such establishments for months early in the pandemic, necessitating the need for steep employment growth. is subset of the hospitality sector in the region is expected to employ more than 2,100 by 2030, an increase of nearly 200% from 2020. More and better applicants Anecdotally, the numbers ring true, or at least Gar- diner and other leaders in the hospitality industry hope they will. Gardiner said the labor pool is still in desper- As occupancy rebounds, hoteliers say hiring isn't far behind Employment in the Greater Worcester leisure and hospitality industry has reached 93% of its pre-COVID levels 16 Worcester Business Journal | March 20, 2023 | wbjournal.com 25.6 25.7 19.2 21.7 23.9 2018 '19 '20 '21 '22 Greater Worcester hospitality employment Steve Gardiner, general manager of the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center, said the workforce crisis has eased enough for his staff to take the occasional day off. Note: The annual average is for em- ploymenet in the leisure & hospitality industry in the Greater Worcester metro area, which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines as Worcester County and Wyndham County, Connecticut. PHOTO | BRAD KANE Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Numbers are in thousands

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