DE&I in the hospitality industry

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are globally topical concerns for wide-ranging socio-economic grounds, easily exemplified by the hospitality industry. Even though the global hospitality industry faces endemic talent shortages, representation across the senior management poorly reflects the demographic profile of hospitality workers. Indeed, while white males represent a fraction of individuals employed in the industry, they unequivocally represent the senior management for most organizations, especially global luxury brands. A concern fully recognized among hospitality students, who are predominately female, which discourages them from pursuing hospitality management careers. Furthermore, the industry broadly reflects an ethnic segmentation with ethnically diverse workers dominating lower functions and status properties compared with white counterparts who dominate senior management of luxury properties. As an industry with a global economic footprint employing roughly 10% of the international working population, it represents an industry with significant social impact. Yet how can the hospitality industry foster social change, both within its sector as well as in communities? Specifically, how could / should DE&I talent management initiatives be designed for hospitality?