Understanding hospitality labor shortages: An importance-performance analysis of hospitality career preference drivers

Abstract

Due to perennial challenges surrounding hospitality staffing shortages, this study uses an established 20-item career preference scale to conduct an importance-performance analysis (IPA) on hospitality workers in Hampton Roads, Virginia (USA). Findings indicate that work-family balance (WFB) and low starting salaries are the two issues in most need of managerial attention. Moreover, this research finds that WFB is more challenging in hotels compared to restaurants; worse for front-of-the-house workers than back-of-the-house; more pronounced for full-time as opposed to part-time staff; and more of a challenge for managers than non-managers. These between group differences are not found for starting salaries.