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Date |
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6/29/2022 |
Press Release |
Inadequate childcare access impacts hospitality jobs |
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INADEQUATE CHILDCARE ACCESS IMPACTS HOSPITALITY JOBS New Survey by PRLA & Strong Start PA Reveals How Childcare Access Affects Recruiting and Retention
Harrisburg, Pa. (June 29, 2022)—The Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, along with Start Strong PA, today released data which suggests that the lack of access to childcare threatens parents’ ability to work in the hospitality industry. The survey, distributed to hospitality industry employers and employees between March and May of 2022, quantifies the impact and correlation between childcare access and the industry’s workforce challenges in Pennsylvania.
According to the survey: - Nearly 3 out of 4 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that there is a shortage of affordable childcare options for their employees.
- Over 80% of respondents said inadequate childcare options have an impact on their ability to recruit qualified employees.
- Nearly 95% of employees said that childcare-related concerns are contributing to the national workforce shortage.
For the vast majority of hospitality industry employers, inadequate childcare options are impacting their ability to recruit and retain qualified employees. As with any industry, staffing shortages result and for the employees, inadequate childcare is a barrier to work.
“The hospitality industry is still struggling to fully rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Staffing continues to be the number one concern of operators across all sectors of our industry,” said John Longstreet, PRLA president & CEO. “Affordable, accessible childcare would mean more team members could enter, stay, and grow in our industry, boosting the economy along the way.”
“We’re grateful for this opportunity through Start Strong PA to learn more about the role childcare plays on our industry’s employers and employees so that we may work toward finding solutions to this issue,” continued Longstreet.
Hospitality industry employees with children noted that child-care access was a barrier to work prior to the pandemic, citing cost and the irregular hours. However, they also noted that the barrier increased during the height of the pandemic and continues today.
Nearly all employers and employees who took the survey said that child care-related concerns are contributing to the national workforce shortage and increasing access to affordable child care should be a high priority for their communities.
“There are currently more than 7,000 vacant childcare positions across Pennsylvania, resulting in classroom and program closures and more than 32,400 Pennsylvanian children on waitlists,” said Steve Doster, a principal partner in the Start Strong PA campaign, which supports affordable access to high-quality child care for PA families. “The economy depends on working families and working families depend on childcare. Pennsylvania lawmakers are in a position to stabilize and strengthen the childcare sector by investing in its employees.”
About the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association
The PRLA strives to promote, protect, and improve the hospitality and tourism industries in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PRLA conveys the unified voice of these industries to the Commonwealth’s citizenry and elected officials. For more information, visit prla.org and find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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