Occupational Projections for the Hotel Manager

With the recent state of the economy and the aging population of the current workforce it is interesting to take a look at what the future holds for us in terms of job growth and potential. When we look at our most recent trends and future projections we have to keep in mind that it is a generalization of the entire labor force or "the number of people aged 16 and older who are either working or looking for work" (http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2007/fall/art04.pdf). Those working in the hospitality field fall under the category of service occupations. Service occupations are said to be among the fastest growing in the job market and currently "account for almost two-thirds of the industry's employment" (http://www.bls.gov/search/?cx=011405714443654768953). To put this in perspective hotel corporations during the year of 2008 created approximately 1.9 million wage and salary jobs(http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2007/fall/art01.pdf).

There are many components that make up work in the hospitality field. With a business that operates 24/7, 365 days a year you will find a job for almost everyone. Many young and first time job seekers that enter the workforce find the diversity of jobs in the hotel field appealing. The job outlook for maids, customer service representatives/reservation agents, food and beverage workers, marketing specialists, and maintenance workers are expected to climb in the coming years. These jobs offer many entry level positions which do not require advanced schooling or prior experience. Over the next ten years more than half a million customer service jobs; like that of the reservation agents, food and beverage worker, and maids, are speculated to be created (http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2007/fall/art02.pdf). Although the outlook looks great for those jobs it is not the case for the entire hotel industry as a whole.

The growth for hotel general mangers is expected to be much slower. Between the years of 2008 to 2018 we are anticipating only a 5% growth rate (http://www.careerinfonet.org/). Unlike the other occupations of the hotel, general manager positions are far and few between. It is not a job where you can just walk into it; years are usually spent working your way up through the company. When you couple that with a low turn around rate you see little growth. Hotel general managers supervise every aspect of the hotel. They supervise all the staff from every department; front desk, housekeeping, food service, and marketing. Right here in New York State 29.4 percent of all general managers hold a bachelor's degree. The average hourly wage from a general manager just starting out falls between $15.41 and $17.61 an hour, whereas the median for the US is only $13.53 an hour. In comparison after years of service, hotel maintenance workers are only seeing an hourly wage rate between $11.75 and $12.47 an hour. Although that is nothing to scoff at because they are among the highest paid worker in the hotel. Those performing the tasks of maids and food/beverage workers rely highly on tips to supplement their income. After settling into their careers most general managers make around $108,000 a year here in New York State with the US median hovering around $64,400. Any real deviation away from these median salaries could be seen between the privately owned hotels and the big chain hotels (http://stats.bls.gov/oco/cg/home.htm). The CEO of the Hilton Hotel Corporation is said to make $1,000,000 a year not including bonuses (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/brand/about_factsheet.jhtml).

With slow job growth for general managers during the next decade we are going to see stiffer competition. More people are going to be entering the field with advanced degrees, on the job experience, and a self-motivated attitude. With the ever changing technology around us potential employees are going to be expected to have advance computer, marketing, and customer service skills. It is said that there is a shortage of "skilled workers" (workers with a special talent in a particular filed) and an influx of entry level workers into the job force. Over the next decade we are going to see the career paths for hotel managers leading ever closer to the side of a "skilled worker." In order to succeed they must have the finesse to handle any situation.