Made in America: Travel's Contribution to Workforce Development and Career Advancement

For millions of Americans, a career in the travel industry is not just a first job, but the first step toward the American dream of a stable, prosperous and rewarding life with a competitive salary for employees and their families. Travel jobs are accessible, often providing the first foothold on the career ladder, the flexibility to pursue education or raise a family and opportunities to reenter the workforce.

Made in America: Travel’s Contribution to Workforce Development and Career Advancement—explores how travel industry jobs provide accessibility, flexibility and the skills required to discover a pathway to prosperity for millions of Americans.

Key highlights include:

• Americans whose first job was in travel went on to earn a maximum average salary of $82,400 by the time they were 50 years old—higher than workers whose first jobs were in manufacturing, health care and most other industries.
• The travel industry is one of the top 10 largest employers of middle-class wage earners in the U.S.
• Of the 6.1 million Americans working part time while pursuing higher education in 2018, more than half were employed in travel-related industries.
• Among workers who began their careers in the travel industry, nearly one-third (32%) eventually earned at least a bachelor’s degree.