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The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has welcomed new research from Fáilte Ireland showing an improvement in recruitment and retention across the tourism and hospitality industry.
The 2025 Tourism Careers Labour Market Research found that 86% of employees now see tourism as a long-term career, compared with 71% in 2021. The report also highlighted a sharp fall in the proportion of businesses struggling to recruit staff in accommodation, bar and waiting services.
Difficulties remain in filling chef roles, however, with more than half of hospitality businesses – 52% – reporting shortages.
According to the IHF, the research reflects efforts made by hotels and guesthouses to invest in staff training and career development.
Michael Magner, president of the Irish Hotels Federation, said: “We have made enormous strides in recent years investing in people development, upskilling and promoting careers within our sector. This is a key priority for Irish hotels and guesthouses, as clearly reflected in today’s research findings which we welcome.
“A career in tourism presents a wide range of exciting options suitable for individuals at any stage of their working lives.”
Tourism is Ireland’s largest indigenous employer, supporting around 270,000 jobs across 20,000 businesses. Hotels and guesthouses directly employ 69,000 people, with about 70% of tourism jobs located outside Dublin.
The sector generates about €10bn (£8.7bn) annually for the economy, according to industry figures, including €6.2bn (£5.4bn) from overseas visitors, €3.6bn (£3.1bn) from the domestic market and €380m (£331m) from Northern Ireland. Tourism activity contributes more than €2.9bn (£2.5bn) in taxes each year to the State.
