Hospitality Careers in Ontario, Salaries and Future Job Opportunities for SHSM Students

When high school students think about hospitality careers, they often picture hotel receptionists, restaurant servers or chefs. But behind every successful hotel, resort or conference centre is a complex business employing professionals in finance, marketing, human resources, technology, operations and management.

For Ontario students exploring their future careers, the hospitality industry offers more opportunities than they might expect. And with thousands of Canadian workers approaching retirement, the next generation may have opportunities to move into management and leadership positions.

For students enrolled in a Business SHSM or Hospitality and Tourism SHSM, this is an industry worth exploring.

Hospitality in Ontario: What the Statistics Tell Us

Did you know that 42.5% of Ontario’s accommodation and food services workforce was between the ages of 15 and 24 in 2024?

Compare that with just 12.6% across all Ontario industries.

According to the Government of Canada’s Job Bank, Ontario’s accommodation and food services industry employed approximately 420,500 people in 2024. The sector also reported approximately 22,070 vacant positions in the second quarter of 2025.

These figures highlight hospitality’s importance as an employer of young people and its continuing need for workers.

Source: Government of Canada Job Bank — Ontario Accommodation and Food Services Sector Profile

A Generation of Retirement-Driven Opportunities

One of the most interesting employment trends across Canada is the growing number of workers approaching retirement.

According to Employment and Social Development Canada’s occupational projections, annual retirements across the Canadian workforce are expected to increase from approximately 344,000 during 2014–2023 to 431,000 during 2024–2033.

That’s an increase of approximately 25% in annual retirements.

For students interested in hospitality management, the projections are particularly interesting.

Between 2024 and 2033, Canada is expected to see approximately 34,100 job openings for accommodation service managers, with an estimated 62% of those openings attributable to retirements.

This doesn’t mean every hotel will experience a management shortage. It does mean that retirement-related replacement demand will create opportunities for qualified workers to advance.

Connecting SHSM Learning With Real Careers

At Flashpoint Training, we believe students benefit from experiencing industries rather than simply hearing about them.

We continue to organize Experiences that will allow students to see what is happening across different industries. For example our Behind the Scenes at the AltPearson Hotel is an amazing opportunity for students to learn about careers in hospitality and tourism.

Our hospitality-focused experiential learning opportunities introduce students to the business behind hotels and related industries, connecting workplace experiences with SHSM learning and career exploration.

While particularly relevant to Hospitality and Tourism SHSM students, these opportunities also provide valuable experiences for Business SHSM students interested in entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, leadership and management.

Students can explore how hospitality businesses generate revenue, what careers exist behind the scenes, and how an entry-level position might develop into a long-term professional career.

What Can You Earn in Hospitality?

What Can You Earn? Hospitality and Tourism Career Salaries in Ontario

When students think about hospitality careers, they often picture restaurants, hotels and tourism attractions. But the industry offers career pathways that extend into retirement residences, healthcare facilities, food production, event management and supply-chain operations.

From preparing meals in a retirement residence to managing a hotel or overseeing food purchasing for a major organization, hospitality-related skills can lead to diverse careers with significant earning potential.

Here’s what professionals in Ontario can earn across several hospitality and related career pathways:

Source: Government of Canada Job Bank, Ontario occupational wage data (November 2025). Annual figures are calculated from reported hourly wage ranges using a 40-hour workweek and 52 weeks annually. Actual earnings depend on experience, location, employer and hours worked.

More Than Hotels and Restaurants

One of the most interesting aspects of hospitality is how transferable its skills are across industries.

Retirement residences need hospitality managers, chefs and food service professionals. Hospitals require dietary services, food safety specialists and purchasing teams. Food manufacturers and distributors need employees who understand logistics, inventory management and business operations.

For students enrolled in Hospitality and Tourism, Business, or Health and Wellness SHSM programs, these overlapping career pathways create opportunities to explore industries they may not have previously considered.

And with retirement-related vacancies expected to create opportunities across Canada’s workforce over the next decade, developing leadership, business management, technology and customer service skills could help today’s students prepare for tomorrow’s careers.

Hospitality isn’t just about serving customers. It’s about managing people, operating businesses, solving problems and creating experiences—and those skills can take students in many different directions..

Why Business SHSM Students Should Explore Hospitality

Consider what it takes to operate a 200-room hotel.

Someone must establish room prices, manage budgets, recruit employees, negotiate supplier contracts, market the property, maintain technology systems and ensure guests have an excellent experience.

These are business decisions.

Revenue Management: Hotels use pricing strategies, forecasting and market research to maximize revenue. Students interested in mathematics, accounting or economics may find this career particularly interesting.

Marketing and Sales: Hospitality businesses compete for customers through branding, digital marketing, corporate partnerships and event sales.

Human Resources: Large hotels employ diverse teams requiring recruitment, scheduling, employee development and workplace leadership.

Operations Management: Coordinating housekeeping, maintenance, food services and guest experiences requires project management and problem-solving abilities.

Entrepreneurship: Hospitality professionals may eventually establish their own event companies, catering businesses, accommodations or tourism ventures.

For Business SHSM students, hospitality provides an opportunity to see classroom concepts applied in a real-world environment.

Are These Careers Replaceable By AI?

Here are three predictions for the impact of AI on Careers in Hospitality and Tourism:

1. Hospitality could become an increasingly attractive career for business students. As hotels adopt AI-powered pricing, scheduling, marketing and customer management systems, they will need employees who understand both technology and business operations. Some of these responsibilities will be absorbed into existing positions rather than creating entirely new jobs.

2. The pathway from entry-level employment to management may change. Traditionally, young people often began in reservations or reception before moving into supervisory roles. If entry-level administrative positions become less common, employers may need new ways to train future managers. This creates opportunities for cooperative education, experiential learning and structured workplace training.

3. Retirement and AI adoption could happen simultaneously. Federal occupational projections suggest approximately 62% of accommodation service manager openings between 2024 and 2033 will be attributable to retirements. AI may help employers absorb some administrative work, but it is unlikely to eliminate the need for managers who lead people, resolve operational problems and make business decisions.

Why Experiential Learning and Career Exploration Matter

Students can research hospitality careers online, but there is a significant difference between reading about a hotel manager and walking through a hotel to understand how the business operates.

Imagine students visiting a hotel and discovering how its departments work together.

They might explore how room rates are established, what happens behind the scenes when a large conference arrives, how employees are recruited or how customer complaints are managed.

Suddenly, concepts such as budgeting, leadership, marketing and operations become tangible.

Students also have opportunities to speak directly with professionals about their education, career pathways, daily responsibilities and the skills employers value.

These experiences can help students make informed decisions about postsecondary education, cooperative education placements and future employment.

Helping Students See What’s Possible

One of the greatest challenges in career education is that students cannot aspire to careers they do not know exist.

A student interested in mathematics might discover revenue management. A student who enjoys organizing activities might consider event planning. Someone passionate about people could explore human resources or hotel operations.

Hospitality is not one career. It is an interconnected industry offering numerous professional pathways.

Through Flashpoint Training’s SHSM field trips and experiential learning opportunities, we help Ontario high school students discover how businesses operate, meet industry professionals and see where their interests and skills might take them.

Because sometimes, discovering a future career starts with seeing what happens behind the scenes.

by Carmen Reis, CPA, MA

Carmen is the CEO of Flashpoint Training, and is passionate about creating opportunities for young people to learn about careers.

To reach Carmen, or any of the Flashpoint Team, email Hello@flashpointtraining.com