Digitalisation in hotels and restaurants is no longer the future but the present – yet for many small businesses it remains a challenge.

At the GenTechPower 2025 conference, Weronika Łebkowska presented research performed by the DELab UW team within the Erasmus+ USMED project on the demand for digital skills in the accommodation and food sector.

While large enterprises are moving ahead with AI, IoT and data-driven solutions, small and medium-sized firms (which represent more than 90% of the sector) still face structural barriers: limited budgets, weaker infrastructure, staff shortages and high turnover. As a result, fewer than 10% of SMEs use advanced technologies such as AI or robotics, and their workforce consistently scores below national averages in areas like data literacy, problem-solving and cybersecurity.

The research combined labour market analysis with focus groups involving workers, managers, educators and students. The findings reveal:

• Employers recruit by skills clusters (booking systems, POS/CRM, digital safety) rather than by job titles.

• Mismatch between demand and practice: job ads often require “digital proficiency,” but employees rarely know which tools this refers to – and structured training is scarce.

• Upskilling gap: low investment and high staff turnover make it hard to establish lasting training systems.

Importantly, the digital divide has a social dimension. Women are often confined to customer-facing roles where digital tools are used mainly for scheduling and surveillance, with limited training opportunities. Migrants, overrepresented in kitchens and seasonal jobs, struggle with language barriers and precarious contracts. As DELab highlighted, digital competences should be treated not as a privilege, but as a basic labour right and a condition for competitiveness.

To close the gap, the team pointed to three key priorities:

1. Intersectional training design – short, mobile, modular learning adapted to women, migrants, and seasonal workers.

2. Labour market diagnostics – using tools like the Digital Skills Assessment Tool (DSAT) to align training with real workplace needs.

3. Shared governance – employers, educators and policymakers co-designing flexible pathways, with public support for SMEs.

By reframing digital competences as part of a broader system of access, justice and inclusion, the Erasmus+ USMED project promotes a future where technology is not an elite path but an enabler of fairer and more competitive hospitality businesses.

Would you like to learn more about the conference? Visit the website: https://gentechpower2025.uw.edu.pl/   
Would you like to learn more about the USMED project? Contact us: https://www.projectusmed.eu/en/contact