Key Facts About Immigrant Labor in Hospitality:
- From 2010 to 2023, immigrant workers in hospitality grew by 17.9%.
- In 2023, three million foreign-born workers were employed in the sector.
- Hospitality is the sixth-largest U.S. industry employing immigrants.
- Common jobs include Line Cooks, Housekeepers, Event Staff and Front Desk Clerks.
- Immigrants help fill hard-to-staff positions, especially during peak travel seasons.
- Every $1 million spent by international tourists creates 6.6 hospitality jobs.
- Tourism spending supports 1.5 extra jobs for each hospitality role created.
- The H-2B visa cap is 66,000, but groups want it raised to 90,000 or more.
- Nevada, Florida and California rely most on immigrant hospitality workers.
Immigrants are important to the U.S. hospitality sector, helping fill labor gaps and driving growth in food service, accommodations and the broader economy.
This report highlights key statistics, labor trends and policy discussions surrounding immigrant workers in hospitality.
Immigrant Employment Trends in Hospitality
The U.S. hospitality workforce has changed a lot in the past 10 years. Immigrant workers now play a bigger role in helping the industry grow.
From 2010 to 2023, the hospitality sector added more jobs and began relying more on foreign-born workers.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau:
- The number of immigrant workers in hospitality grew by 17.9%
- U.S.-born workers in the same field grew by 20.3%
- In 2023, there were three million foreign-born workers in the sector, making it the sixth-largest employer of immigrants in the country
Other industries like healthcare, construction and retail hire more immigrants overall but hospitality is unique in the kinds of jobs it offers.
Many of these jobs — like Line Cooks, Housekeepers, Event Servers and Front Desk Staff — don’t need a college degree. But they do require physical work, long shifts and direct contact with guests.
This data shows two major trends:
1. Automation hasn’t replaced key hospitality jobs
Even with new tools like self-check-in kiosks, mobile apps and AI chatbots, many roles still need people on-site.
Tasks like cleaning rooms, preparing food, setting up events and talking to guests are still done by people — and many of them are immigrants. Fewer U.S.-born workers are applying for these jobs.
2. Immigrants help keep operations running
They fill hard-to-staff roles especially during busy times. Their work helps restaurants stay open and hotels avoid cutting services. This steady support improves both revenue and the guest experience.
In short, immigrant workers aren’t just filling gaps — they’re a key part of how the hospitality industry works and grows.
Economic Impact of Immigrant Labor
Immigrant workers not only help maintain service levels in the hospitality sector — they also support the economy more broadly.
Their role goes beyond staffing; it fuels tourism revenue, job creation and growth in related industries.
Tourism Revenue
International visitors spend an average of $4,500 during their stay in the U.S., making tourism the country’s largest export among service-based categories.
This spending directly benefits local businesses including hotels, restaurants, transportation providers and attractions — many of which rely heavily on immigrant labor to function.
Job Creation Effects
For every $1 million spent by international travelers, the U.S. economy adds about 6.6 new tourism jobs.
These jobs include front-line hospitality roles such as hotel staff, tour guides and food service workers.
Each of these roles then supports an additional 1.5 jobs in related industries.
For example, a hotel might generate ongoing demand for local laundry services, an accounting firm to manage payroll or a construction crew for renovation projects.
Broader Employment Impact
Altogether, tourism-related spending has helped create an estimated 1.5 million direct jobs within the hospitality sector.
Beyond that, it has generated 2.2 million jobs in other parts of the economy, including marketing agencies, manufacturing plants that supply hotel goods and service providers supporting tourism infrastructure.
These figures highlight why a stable, well-staffed hospitality workforce — including immigrant employees — is essential not just for guest satisfaction but for sustaining employment opportunities far beyond the walls of a hotel or restaurant.
Labor Shortages and Policy Responses
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) states that even with eight million employees, the hotel sector lacks sufficient staffing.
The gap is particularly evident in peak tourist seasons, where understaffing causes longer check-in lines, reduced restaurant hours and delays in guest services.
Hotel operators report frequent difficulty in hiring for roles such as Housekeepers, Line Cooks, Dishwashers and Front Desk Clerks.
H-2B Visa Program
To combat these shortages, industry groups are advocating for reforms in work visa policies — most notably the H-2B visa program.
This program enables foreign nationals to work temporarily in the U.S. when no qualified local workers are available.
Created by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, the program is a vital resource for seasonal businesses, particularly resort hotels and tourist attractions.
- The current cap is 66,000 H-2B visas per year.
- AHLA proposes raising this to 90,000 or more to meet actual demand.
- In previous years, the federal government temporarily increased the cap to 96,000 under pressure from both business groups and political leaders in states with tourism-heavy economies.
H-2B visa holders often return to the same jobs each year, offering familiarity and continuity that helps streamline operations.
Immigration Policy Impacts
In recent years, policy shifts have disrupted this labor pipeline. Visa backlogs, tighter entry rules and increased enforcement actions have all contributed to workforce instability.
Additionally, many immigrant workers were ineligible for pandemic-era financial aid, such as the CARES Act, which deepened their financial insecurity during times of mass unemployment.
Regional Dependence on Immigrant Labor
Immigrant labor is not evenly distributed across the country. States with vibrant tourism economies tend to rely more heavily on foreign-born workers to fill hospitality roles:
- Nevada: Las Vegas anchors one of the most tourism-driven economies in the U.S., with hotels and casinos employing large numbers of immigrant staff.
- Florida: A year-round tourist destination with significant peaks during winter and spring break seasons, Florida hotels and attractions depend on foreign workers to remain fully operational.
- California: From San Diego to San Francisco, the state’s hospitality industry includes hotels, wine regions, and theme parks, all of which rely on immigrant labor.
In these states, immigrant workers are not just filling roles — they are helping uphold the standard of hospitality services that these destinations are known for.
Final Thoughts on Immigrant Labor in Hospitality
The hospitality industry is a cornerstone of the American economy, yet it depends heavily on a workforce that often remains on the margins.
Immigrant workers — legal residents, visa holders and undocumented individuals alike — fill essential roles that keep hotels, restaurants and resorts running smoothly.
As fewer U.S.-born workers pursue hospitality jobs that don’t require a college degree, the industry’s reliance on immigrant labor is expected to grow.
Immigration policies that expand visa access, provide pathways for legal employment and protect worker rights will be crucial to the industry's continued recovery and growth.
Investing in this workforce isn’t just an ethical choice — it’s an economic imperative. Without it, the U.S. risks undermining one of its most vital industries at a time when global tourism and domestic travel are poised for resurgence.
