Travel Industry Posts Employment Gains for March

While employment grew at a slower pace in March, the travel industry still added 6,000 jobs, bringing the industry's total direct employment to 7,564,000, reports David Huether, senior vice president of economics and research at the U.S. Travel Association.

Huether's analysis of the Labor Department report on March 2012 employment numbers shows that since February 2011, travel employment has increased by 131,300.

"Major increases in travel employment were in the restaurants, lodging and airline sectors, which offset declines in retail, amusements, gambling and recreation. In the prior three months, employment in the travel industry rose by 30,800, making up 4.9 percent of all non-farm jobs added in the first quarter of 2012," Huether says.

"Americans are continuing to travel, but intentions remain somewhat restrained compared to pre-recessionary levels. This could slow travel employment gains in the coming months," he warns.

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