The Australian Hotels Association New South Wales (AHA NSW) has released new data from Deloitte Access Economics, which reveals that women make up 58 per cent of the 72,000+ workforce directly employed by hotels in the state.
In addition data from Roy Morgan shows that the majority of the three million people who visited pubs in NSW over the last three months were also female.
AHA NSW CEO John Whelan said we are seeing the new female face of hotels in the state.
“What we are seeing here is the changing face of hotels,” he said.
“Over the past 20 years pubs have invested heavily to create an inclusive environment with great food and an inviting atmosphere – and we are seeing the results.”
The Roy Morgan research shows that a total 3.1million people visited a NSW pub in the past three months for a drink or a meal.
Regions with the highest percentage of female pub patronage were Outer Western Sydney (53 per cent), South West Sydney (53 per cent), the Central Coast (55 per cent) and North Western NSW (54 per cent – including Bathurst, Dubbo and Mudgee).
AHA NSW Senior Vice-President and Oatley Hotel publican, Lyn Humphreys and said after her 40 years working in what has long been a male-dominated industry the new figures were welcome.
“It certainly has been a long journey from the ladies lounge to the front bar but the days when the local pub was solely a male domain are long gone – and rightly so,” Humphreys said.
“Pubs really should reflect their communities, and these new figures reflect just that – to see more women on both sides of the bar is a win for all.”
Whelan said the new Deloitte report also showed the vital economic role hotels played in NSW.
“Not only do our hotel members employ more than 72,000 people – they contribute $6.8bn in value to the NSW economy each year.
“Hotels also spend more than $7bn each year on staff wages and purchasing from suppliers.”
He added: “Each year NSW hotels host more than 108,000 live music and DJ events and over 89,000 community and sporting events.
“Hotels are also engine rooms of regional tourism, providing not only great places to eat and drink but also more than 12,000 beds in regional NSW for travellers to rest their heads.
“This report shows that more than ever before NSW pubs are deeply connected to and embraced by their local communities.”