According to the latest global workforce report published by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the travel and tourism sector is projected to support approximately 91 million new jobs worldwide by 2035. As of early 2026, the sector has largely completed its post-pandemic recovery phase and is once again positioned as a central pillar of long-term economic growth.
Global Employment Scale: The Current Landscape
WTTC data indicates that by the end of 2025, global employment in travel and tourism had reached approximately 371 million people, accounting for nearly 10% of total global employment, either directly or indirectly.
Looking ahead to 2035, projections suggest that an additional 91 million jobs could be created across the sector. In practical terms, this means that one out of every three new jobs globally over the next decade is expected to be linked to travel and tourism activities.
Structural Risk: A Growing Global Workforce Gap
Beyond growth potential, the report highlights a critical structural challenge: the widening gap between workforce supply and demand. WTTC warns that by 2035, the global travel and tourism sector could face a shortfall of approximately 43 million workers if current trends persist.
Key drivers behind this gap include:
Aging populations in major markets
Workforce attrition from service industries
Shortages of skilled and trained personnel
Declining attractiveness of operational and frontline roles
Demand is expected to grow most rapidly in customer-facing, operational, ground services, and accommodation-related roles, where human interaction remains essential.
Regional Imbalances Become More Pronounced
The workforce gap is not evenly distributed geographically. WTTC’s long-term projections indicate that by 2035:
China may require an additional 16.9 million workers,
India approximately 11 million,
and the European Union around 6.4 million new employees across the travel and tourism ecosystem.
In advanced economies such as Japan, demographic dynamics could result in workforce supply falling nearly 30% short of demand, underscoring the need for structural labor and immigration strategies to sustain tourism growth.
Accommodation Sector at a Critical Threshold
One of the most exposed segments identified in the report is the accommodation sector. Due to its labor-intensive nature, hotels and resorts are expected to require approximately 8.6 million additional workers by 2035.
This outlook positions talent development, retention strategies, and workforce engagement as strategic priorities for hotel operators, resort groups, and alternative accommodation providers globally.
Strategic Framework: Building Sustainable Employment
To ensure that growth remains sustainable, WTTC calls for stronger coordination between public institutions and the private sector. The report emphasizes several strategic focus areas:
Long-term partnerships between industry and educational institutions
Vocational training and reskilling programs
Increased participation of young people and women in the workforce
Broader adoption of flexible and inclusive employment models
WTTC President & CEO Gloria Guevara underlines that travel and tourism continues to function as a strategic driver of economic resilience and social inclusion, while stressing that workforce planning has now become as critical as demand growth itself.
Overall Assessment
As of 2026, travel and tourism is reinforcing its central role in the global economy not only through demand recovery, but through its job creation capacity, regional development impact, and strong economic multiplier effect. WTTC’s findings make it clear that the coming decade will represent a period of workforce-led transformation, positioning human capital at the core of sustainable sectoral growth.
