Tourism careers in 2025: What employers and workers say

Overview

Fáilte Ireland's Tourism Careers Research 2025 Update brings together views from 569 employers and 597 workers. It shows progress since 2021 in job quality, recruitment, retention, and worker satisfaction. It also shows that change has levelled off over the last year. For tourism businesses, the findings point to a workforce message: show career potential, make working conditions visible, and address barriers that affect staff. 

Key takeaways

1. Recruitment difficulties have receded since 2021, but that’s not to say it’s easy 

The proportion of businesses experiencing recruitment difficulties is a fraction of what it was just a few short years ago. Retention difficulties have also receded. That’s not to say that staffing is always easy; rather, it’s just become less difficult.  

Recruitment challenges vary by role. At 52%, culinary and chef roles remain the hardest to fill. Difficulty associated with managers and supervisors has come down from 55% in 2021 to 29% in 2025.  

2.  Lack of accommodation a barrier to staffing

More than half (52%) of employers report a ‘lack of affordable accommodation locally’ as a barrier to recruitment and retention. This is higher again in Dublin, where 61% of respondents noted this as an issue.  

3. Employers value service basics before qualifications

Employers seek workers with ‘good work ethic’ and ‘customer service skills’ who do the basics well. This points to the role of induction, mentoring, and everyday service standards

4. Career interest is higher than in previous surveys

In 2025, 86% of people working in tourism, or looking to join, saw tourism and hospitality as a long-term career.

That compares with 76% in 2024 and 71% in 2021. Passion for the job or sector influenced 51% of workers. Passion for the job or sector remains influential among workers. 

5. Workers and employers do not always see retention activity in the same way

Employers reported pay rises, flexible work patterns, and predictable schedules among their retention actions.

However, workers have so far been less reactive to acknowledge some improvements cited by employers.

What this means for tourism businesses

This report explores recruitment, retention and career perceptions across Ireland's tourism industry. It brings together the views of employers and workers to highlight the challenges, progress and opportunities shaping tourism careers. Use these insights to review your recruitment, staff development and employee experience. 

Practical actions you can take

If you are recruiting frontline staff 

• Continue to make the sector a more attractive proposition to incumbent and prospective staff. 
• Include pay ranges, shift patterns, on the job training etc. in job adverts. 
• Practical action: Review one current job advert against the questions a first-time applicant may ask. 
• Build recruitment and people management skills through learniFI.

If you want to keep experienced staff 

• Make flexibility, work scheduling, training, and progression visible. 
• Ask staff which changes they notice and what still affects them. 
• Practical action: Compare what you offer with what staff say they experience day to day. 
• Explore Fáilte Ireland's Employer Excellence Programme to strengthen employee engagement, leadership and workplace culture.

If training is part of your workforce plan 

• Set out what training support includes. 
• Link training to the next step in the role where possible. 
• Practical action: Set out one progression path for each key role, from entry point to next step. 
• Use learniFI to support leadership, management and people development across your team.