Q2 and Q3 2020 figures show sharp decline in hospitality employment and turnover

 

Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitality sector provided 12 million jobs per year, represented 2 million companies (90% of them are micro-enterprises) and contributed with 5% of the GDP to the EU economy.

During March and May 2020, most hotels, bars, restaurants, cafés were closed either because of lockdown measures or the lack of customers due to travel restrictions or the absence of consumer trust. During Q2 2020, the sector’s turnover in the EU dropped by 63.25% compared to Q2 2019. Though a slight recovery was observed over the course of Q3 2020, turnover remained roughly 44% lower than during Q3 2019 in the EU27.

In employment terms, hospitality services employed 1.84 million fewer in Q2 2020 than in Q2 2019, and 1.56 million fewer in Q3 2020 than in Q3 2019. The European Commission has predicted a loss of 6 million jobs for the tourism sector in the months ahead.