An approach to the defining factors of salaries in the Spanish tourist sector

Abstract

PurposeThe importance of workers in labour-intensive industries, such as tourism, is undeniable. In this sense, it has been investigated for decades from various methodological approaches. However, in the academic literature on tourism, the partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique has hardly been used.Design/methodology/approachTherefore, this work uses that technique to contrast which factors define the employees' wages in the Spanish tourism industry. Additionally, an importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) analysis is carried out, which provides informed decision-making.FindingsThus, the main results obtained are the verification and measurement of the relationships of Human Capital, Labour Conditions and Market with Wages, and the relation between Human Capital and Labour Conditions. Besides, the improvement points in each variable are identified. Especial emphasis is given to those related to Human Capital and, partially, to the Market.Research limitations/implicationsHowever, there are certain limitations to this study. Mainly, as the indicators used are given by the 2018 Salary Structure Survey, they are stiff and so the design of the model turns to be more difficult.Originality/valueConsidering the turning point that the temporary cessation of the tourism industry activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been, it is essential to take advantage of it to identify and correct existing deficiencies. Therefore, this work aims to be a base document for the identification of these problems.

Keep It Simple: A Methodological Discussion of Wage Inequalities in the Spanish Hospitality Industry

“…However, looking over the data and the jobs within the second professional group suggests that they should be divided into two. The resulting categories are as follows-CNO2 [47] codes, as classifiers of the job position, in brackets: first (11)(12)(13)(14)(15), second (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38), third , and fourth (90-98).…”

“…Thus, over the decades, the methodologies used to assess the overall phenomenon have evolved from Mincer's equation [10] by adding variables to this first regression or by applying new methodologies based on it, as shown hereafter. Firstly, researchers started by adding more explanatory variables to the equation in an attempt to increase the share of variance explained by human capital variables such as tenure [17], education mismatch [34], business-related variables such as its size [35,36], or by individual-related characteristics such as age, nationality, or sex [37,38]. Plus, the latter has been widely studied from the perspective of the gender gap [34,39].…”

Does the gender of hospitality employees affect the definition of wages in Spain?

“…Thus, the hypotheses are formulated in the form of a model, as shown in Figure 1, based on a previous similar study (Sánchez-Cubo et al, 2023). Besides, they are well-founded by the extant literature, despite it is inappropriate to make direct comparisons between methods.…”