Eurostat: Number of Females in Tourism Grows

The number of women working in tourism is growing, according to a Eurostat report, which found that while females represented just over a third (36 percent) of persons employed in the non-financial business economy in 2014, 58 percent were occupied in core tourism activities.

According to the report, females made up the largest share of employment in core tourism activities in all EU member states, except Luxembourg, where women accounted for 32 percent of employment, 41 percent in Malta and 49 percent in Belgium.

The report, which was released last month, also found that the number of persons employed in tourism overall also increased by 0.4 percent in the EU28 in the third quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter.

More specifically, tourism industries employed just over 12 million persons, equivalent to 9 percent of total employment in the EU non-financial business economy in 2013. Of these, accommodation, travel agencies/tour operators and air transport employed 3.3 million people.

Additionally, 2014 saw EU core tourism activities provide more part-time jobs with more than one in five tourism posts being on a part-time and/or temporary basis. Across the Union, part-time employment accounted for more than half of all jobs in core tourism activities. In Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Austria, the share of temporary workers is approximately three to four times higher.

The report also found that tourism employed more younger workers, with 13 percent aged 15 to 24, representing 9 percent of total employment. Notably high figures were reported in Denmark at 24 percent, Malta and the Netherlands at 21 percent, and the UK at 20 percent, where at least one in five employees in tourism is aged 15 to 24.