Those numbers are bogus, sorry. The largest expense for any worker is having a place to live, and you just can't do that with hospitality sector wages.
If you think the numbers are bogus, send me some data that you think is correct.
And to be clear, I’m not making the claim that people are better off than they were in 2018 or 2019. I’m simply pointing out a few key ways in which perception is lagging reality.
Like I wrote in the comment above, it's a never ending discussion, and there are no numbers that people will agree on. So I urge you to look at the cost of living of yourself and people around you, as well as the salaries. A 2024 dollar or euro is maybe worth 50c of a 2020 dollar or euro. The cost of a house has in many places increased by $100 000 during that time, but have the yearly salaries of hospitality workers increased with $25 000?
There is no high demand for hospitality workers. If there was a high demand, then you'd see software engineers quitting their jobs to go work in restaurants and hotels.
Agreeing on reliable inflation numbers is a never-ending conversation, but if somebody still believes any official numbers, I think it's fair to simply call those numbers bogus. Saying there is high demand for hospitality sector workers is not true, because they are still the lowest paid workers and would need a huge percentage salary growth before anybody could say there is high demand for them.
If companies were saying there was a huge demand for software engineers and that they were desperate for workers, and then offering $12 per hour salaries, people would laugh. But do and say the same in the hospitality sector, and people somehow take you serious.
And to be clear, I’m not making the claim that people are better off than they were in 2018 or 2019. I’m simply pointing out a few key ways in which perception is lagging reality.