(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — With a busy summer ahead, Chicago area hotels are hoping a hiring event will help recruit more staff amid a major worker shortage.
Michael Jacobson is President and CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, one of the groups behind the hospitality hiring event at The Swissotel.
“With the restart of major events, Lollapalooza coming up, the time is now,” he said Tuesday. “A lot of the jobs that were lost temporarily during the pandemic are back and then some.”
He said many Chicago area hotels will be able to hire on the spot, for a variety of jobs.
“We offer jobs for people from every walk of life, every background and every interest. If you like cleaning, we have a housekeeping job for you. If you like cooking, we have a job in the kitchen. If you like numbers, we have accounting roles,” Jacobson said.
If hotels aren’t able to hire enough workers, it could lead to less availability for travelers — and less revenue for the state.
“We’ve already seen some hotels shut off their reservation system at 75% of the rooms sold,” he said. “That’s leaving so much on the table.”
The hiring event is being held Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Swissotel. Details here.