The travel and tourism sector will be a key driver of jobs but faces a significant workforce shortfall over the next decade, according to a new report released on 30 September 2025 by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Travel and tourism will support one in three jobs worldwide by 2035, the report’s authors say, but over 43 million positions could be vacant by the same year if demographic and structural issues, such as a “shrinking working-age population,” are left unaddressed. The concern echoes a recent analysis from the European Travel Commission, which lays out a range of possible future threats and opportunities for the sector and includes demographic shifts among the risks.
Looking at the numbers in detail, in 2024, the sector, described by WTTC as an “engine for job creation”, supported a record 357 million new posts worldwide, and that figure is forecast to grow by 14 million to 371 million in 2025. And by ten years later, a whopping 91 million new roles are anticipated, making up a third of net employment growth around the world.
Today at the @WTTC Global Summit in Rome, I was honored to launch the groundbreaking “Future of Work” report, which highlights the potential of Travel & Tourism to create 91 million new jobs by 2035. This may still not be enough, though, as there is a projected workforce… pic.twitter.com/uaokyNeaYJ
— Ahmed Al Khateeb أحمد الخطيب (@AhmedAlKhateeb) September 29, 2025
That means, by 2035, global demand for travel and tourism workers “will outpace supply by more than 43 million people,” the report says. The 16% gap between worker supply and demand grows to 18%, an 8.6 million shortfall, for the hospitality industry.
Roles the WTTC deems “low-skilled” will suffer the most critical demand-supply mismatch of 20 million, and despite the growth of artificial intelligence, there will still be a great need for “positions which rely heavily on human interaction, and services that cannot be easily automated.”
Commenting on the issue, Gloria Guevara, WTTC Interim CEO, highlighted the impact of COVID-19, noting: “Many workers left the sector during COVID when Travel & Tourism came to a standstill. Now, as global unemployment is expected to fall and working age populations to shrink, this is creating an increased pressure on labour supply, especially for fast-growing sectors like Travel & Tourism.”
The WTTC is therefore calling for “urgent workforce planning.” Guevara said, “This report is a call to action. By working together with governments and educators, our sector will meet these challenges and continue to be one of the most rewarding sectors, offering dynamic futures for the next generations. WTTC will work with government officials around the world to ensure policies are implemented to reduce this gap and unlock the potential in their countries.”
📍🇮🇹 At our 25th Global Summit in Rome today, we launched our latest report, revealing that Europe remains the beating heart of international tourism, with five of the world’s top 10 most powerful Travel & Tourism markets by GDP.
— WTTC (@WTTC) September 29, 2025
Read more 👉 https://t.co/AyNOxy0yyL pic.twitter.com/MaLt6blYcb
As well as bolstering collaboration between governments, stakeholders, and educators, the WTTC outlines next steps such as inspiring more young people with the diversity and excitement of the sector; boosting retention through leadership programmes, clear career pathways, and inclusion; investment in digital literacy and sustainable practices; increasing flexible workplace policies, including making it easier to recruit from abroad and work part-time.
