Job quality in the tourism industry

Santiago Melián González

doi:10.25145/j.pasos.2025.23.002

Authors

Santiago Melián González Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7662-3154

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25145/j.pasos.2025.23.002

Keywords:

Job quality, Tourism development, Employment, Work

Abstract

In many countries and regions, tourism activity is viewed as a means of increasing income and employment for local people. Research confirms that tourism development boosts employment. However, studies have neglected the quality of jobs. Job quality is a concern for policy makers and is considered a determinant of individual well-being. The quality of jobs in tourism is generally perceived to be low. Most evidence with respect to tourism job quality disregards job quality in specific tourism activities, non-tourism activities, several tourism occupations, and non-tourism occupations. These aspects are analysed using employment data from the European Union and two large databases on job characteristics (ONET) and working conditions (European Working Conditions Survey). The results indicate that job quality is low in accommodation and food and beverage service activities, but not in travel agency and tour operator services. With regard to occupations, job quality is low in most tourism occupations.

Downloads

Publication Facts

This article

Author statements

Data availability

N/A

16%

External funding

No

32%

Competing interests

N/A

11%

This journal

Other journals

Articles accepted

51%

33%

Days to publication

519

145

Indexed in

DOAJ
GS
L
S

Editor & editorial board: profiles
Academic society: PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural
Publisher: Instituto Universitario de Investigación Social y Turismo. Universidad de La Laguna (España) - Instituto Universitario da Maia ISMAI (Portugal)

PFL

How useful do you find this label?

	1	2	3	4	5
Not useful						Very useful

I'm associated with...

References

Ariza-Montes, A., Radic, A., Arjona-Fuentes, J. M., Han, H., & Law, R. (2021). Job quality and work engagement in the cruise industry. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 26(5), 469-487. doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2020.1866625

Baum, T. (2015). Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change?–A 2015 reprise. Tourism Management, 50, 204-212. doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.04.005

Baum, T. (2019). Hospitality employment 2033: A backcasting perspective (invited paper for ‘luminaries’ special issue of international journal of hospitality management). International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76 part B, 45-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.06.027

Baum, T., Cheung, C., Kong, H., Kralj, A., Mooney, S., Nguyễn Thị Thanh, H., ... & Siow, M. L. (2016). Sustainability and the tourism and hospitality workforce: A thematic analysis. Sustainability, 8(8), 1-21. doi.org/10.3390/su8080809

Baum, T., Kralj, A., Robinson, R. N., & Solnet, D. J. (2016). Tourism workforce research: A review, taxonomy and agenda. Annals of Tourism Research, 60, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2016.04.003

Belardi, S., Knox, A., & Wright, C. F. (2021). ‘The circle of life’: The role of life course in understanding job quality. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 44(1), 44-67. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X211061185

Belloni, M. & Tijdens, K. (2019). Occupation > industry predictions for measuring industry in surveys. AIAS-HSI Working Paper Series, working paper 5-April 2019, 1-39.

Biagi, B., Ladu, M. G., Meleddu, M., & Royuela, V. (2020). Tourism and the city: The impact on residents' quality of life. International Journal of Tourism Research, 22(2), 168-181.

Bisello, M., Peruffo, E., Fernández-Macías, E., & Rinaldi, R. (2019). How computerisation is transforming jobs: Evidence from the Eurofound's European Working Conditions Survey. JRC Working Papers on Labour, Education and Technology No 2019/02, 1-39.

Chen, W. H., & Mehdi, T. (2019). Assessing job quality in Canada: a multidimensional approach. Canadian Public Policy, 45(2), 173-191.

Choy, D. J. (1995). The quality of tourism employment. Tourism Management, 16(2), 129-137.

Díaz-Chao, Á., Ficapal-Cusí, P., & Torrent-Sellens, J. (2016). Economic crisis and job quality in Spain: A multi-dimensional and micro-data empirical approach. Social Indicators Research, 125, 613-633. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0850-0

Dolcet, M., Porto, N., & Garcia, C. I. (2022). A Quality of Employment Index for the tourism sector in developing countries: the case of Uruguay. Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa em Turismo, 16, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v16.2622

Eurostat (2022). Tourism industries - economic analysis. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_industries_-_economic_analysis

European Commission (2003) Communication from the Commission to the Council. Improving quality in work: A review of recent progress. Luxembourg: COM, 728. https://www.eumonitor.eu/9353000/1/j9vvik7m1c3gyxp/vikqh0wip5ze

Ficapal-Cusi, P., Diaz-Chao, A., Sainz-Ibanez, M., & Torrent-Sellens, J. (2018). Gender inequalities in job quality during the recession. Employee Relations, 40(1), 2-22. DOI 10.1108/ER-07-2016-0139

Gammarano, R. (2020). Measuring job quality: difficult but necessary. International Labour Organization. https://ilostat.ilo.org/measuring-job-quality-difficult-but-necessary/.

García-Rodríguez, F. J., Armas-Cruz, Y., & González-de-la-Rosa, M. (2021). Decent work in hospitality: scale development and validation. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(10), 1674-1693.

Guégnard, C., & Mériot, S. A. (2008). Housekeepers in French hotels: Cinderella in the shadows. In Caroli, E. & Gautié, J. (eds). Low-wage Work in France (pp 168-208). Russell Sage Foundation, New York.

Guidetti, G., Pedrini, G., & Zamparini, L. (2021). Assessing perceived job quality among seasonal tourism workers: The case of Rimini, Italy. Tourism Economics, 27(8), 1629-1649.

Ficapal-Cusí, P., Díaz-Chao, A., Sainz-Ibáñez, M. and Torrent-Sellens, J. (2018). Gender inequalities in job quality during the recession. Employee Relations (40)1, 2-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-07-2016-0139.

Guidetti, G., Pedrini, G., & Zamparini, L. (2021). Assessing perceived job quality among seasonal tourism workers: The case of Rimini, Italy. Tourism Economics, 27(8), 1629-1649. DOI: 10.1177/1354816620927524

Handel, M. J. (2005). Trends in perceived job quality, 1989 to 1998. Work and occupations, 32(1), 66-94. DOI: 10.1177/0730888404271901

Holman, D. (2013). Job types and job quality in Europe. Human relations, 66(4), 475-502. DOI: 10.1177/001872671245640

ILO (2012). International Standard Classification of Occupations. Structure, group definitions and correspondence tables. International Labour Office. Geneva.

Kronenberg, K., & Fuchs, M. (2021). Aligning tourism's socio-economic impact with the United Nations' sustainable development goals. Tourism Management Perspectives, 39, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100831

Lara de Vicente, F., & López-Guzmán Guzmán, T. J. (2004). El turismo como motor de desarrollo económico en ciudades patrimonio de la humanidad. PASOS Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 2(2), 243-256.

Judge, T. A. & Klinger, R. (2008). Job satisfaction. Subjective wellbeing at work. In Eid, M. & Larsen, R.J. (Eds). The Since of Subjective Wellbeing (pp 393-413). The Guilford Press. New York.

Kalleberg, A. L. (2011). Good jobs, bad jobs: The rise of polarized and precarious employment systems in the United States, 1970s-2000s. Russell Sage Foundation. New York.

Knox, A., Warhurst, C., Nickson, D., & Dutton, E. (2015). More than a feeling: Using hotel room attendants to improve understanding of job quality. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(12), 1547-1567.

Lacher, R. G., & Oh, C. O. (2012). Is tourism a low-income industry? Evidence from three coastal regions. Journal of Travel Research, 51(4), 464-472. DOI: 10.1177/0047287511426342

Liu, A., & Wall, G. (2006). Planning tourism employment: a developing country perspective. Tourism Management, 27(1), 159-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2004.08.004

Lloyd, C., & Payne, J. (2021). Hard times in latte land? Analysing pay and working time in the café industry in France, Norway and the UK. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 42(3), 805-827. DOI: 10.1177/0143831X18809887

Marrero-Rodríguez, R., Morini-Marrero, S., & Ramos-Henriquez, J. M. (2020). Tourism jobs in demand: Where the best contracts and high salaries go at online offers. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100721

Muñoz de Bustillo, R., Fernández-Macías, E., Esteve, F., & Antón, J. I. (2011). E pluribus unum? A critical survey of job quality indicators. Socio-Economic Review, 9(3), 447-475. doi:10.1093/ser/mwr005

OECD. (2014). OECD Employment Outlook 2014. OECD Publishing, Paris. http://www.oecdilibrary.org/employment/oecd-employment-outlook-2014_empl_outlook-2014-en

Piasna, A. (2020). Standards of Good Work in the Organisation of Working Time: Fragmentation and the Intensification of Work Across Sectors and Occupations. Management revue, 31(2), 259-284. doi.org/10.5771/0935-9915-2020-2

Robinson, R. N., Martins, A., Solnet, D., & Baum, T. (2019). Sustaining precarity: Critically examining tourism and employment. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(7), 1008-1025. doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1538230

Santero-Sánchez, R., Segovia-Pérez, M., Castro-Nuñez, B., Figueroa-Domecq, C., & Talón-Ballestero, P. (2015). Gender differences in the hospitality industry: A job quality index. Tourism Management, 51, 234-246. doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2015.05.025

Siebern-Thomas, F. (2005). Job quality in European labour markets. In S. Brazen, C. Lucifora, & W. Salverda (Eds.), Job quality and employer behaviour (pp. 31–66). Palgrave Macmillan. New York.

Sirgy, M. J., Efraty, D., Siegel, P., & Lee, D. J. (2001). A new measure of quality of work life (QWL) based on need satisfaction and spillover theories. Social Indicators Research, 55(3), 241-302.

Stefana, E., Marciano, F., Rossi, D., Cocca, P., & Tomasoni, G. (2021). Composite indicators to measure quality of working life in Europe: A systematic review. Social Indicators Research, 157(3), 1047-1078. doi.org/10.1007/s11205-021-02688-6

Uysal, M., Sirgy, M. J., Woo, E., & Kim, H. L. (2016). Quality of life (QOL) and well-being research in tourism. Tourism Management, 53, 244-261. doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2015.07.013

Vanegas, M. & Croes, R. R. (2003). Growth, development and tourism in a small economy: Evidence from Aruba. International Journal of Tourism Research, 5(5), 315-330.

Weaver, A. (2009). Perceptions of job quality in the tourism industry: The views of recent graduates of a university's tourism management programme. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 21(5), 579-593. DOI 10.1108/09596110910967818

Webster, E., Budlender, D., & Orkin, M. (2015). Developing a diagnostic tool and policy instrument for the realization of decent work. International Labour Review, 154(2), 123-145.

Wildes, V. J. (2005). Stigma in food service work: How it affects restaurant servers' intention to stay in the business or recommend a job to another. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 5(3), 213-233.

WTTC (2022). Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2022. https://wttc.org/research/economic-impact