DIFFICULTY ATTRACTING and retaining staff and upward pressure on hourly wages have challenged the private club industry the last several years. In August 2022, Club Benchmarking (CB) conducted a labor survey to quantify the extent to which clubs have been affected by those challenges and the ways in which they are addressing the subsequent financial pressure. More than 750 clubs participated in the 2022 survey and the findings provide interesting context for CB’s previous labor survey conducted in November 2021.
Only 5% of clubs responding to the 2022 survey described their ability to attract hourly staff as “easy,” but the data suggests some improvement. The percentage of clubs that described their ability to attract hourly staff as “extremely difficult” in 2022 was 27%, down from the 52% reported in the 2021 labor study. Nearly half (47%) chose “moderately difficult,” marking an 11% increase from the prior year.
Hourly Wages
The 2022 Labor Survey looked at a representative set of hourly club positions and asked clubs to report on the maximum and average hourly wages for each. The results were analyzed both regionally and by position:
- À la carte servers.
- Banquet servers.
- Bartenders.
- Bus staff.
- Dishwashers.
- Cooks.
- Course maintenance laborers.
- Golf outside operation staff.
- Housekeeping.
- Building maintenance.
- Lifeguards.
| Hourly Wage Survey Sample À La Carte Server | |
| Region | Avg. Wage |
| West | $26.23 |
| Canada | $22.80 |
| Southeast | $21.87 |
| New England | $21.77 |
| Mid-Atlantic | $21.36 |
| Midwest | $20.84 |
| South Central | $20.06 |
| National Average | $22.35 |
Covering Costs
In the private club business model, member dues are intended to fund the majority of the club’s operating expenses. Sufficiency of member dues revenue must be evaluated as clubs strive to address the realities of rising payroll costs and inflation.
Clubs were asked to report or estimate the percentage dues increase for a full member in 2023. Of the 760 clubs reporting, 130 have already set 2023 dues. The remaining 630 clubs responded with estimated 2023 dues increases. In the final report, findings were analyzed both regionally and by club type.
| 2023 Dues Increase for Full Member—All Clubs | ||
| 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
| 5.0% | 6.0% | 9.0% |
To learn more about the Labor Survey Report, contact Mike Morin at [email protected].