The International spa Association (ispa) Foundation announced the launch of a new spa workforce study at the 2017 ISPA Conference & Expo being held at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas this week.

The ISPA Foundation commissioned PwC to conduct the study, which is ISPA’s first research-driven study aimed at analyzing the recruitment, retention and engagement of professionals in the spa sector.

Colin McIlheney, global research director for PwC, said that the study is designed to be inclusive and to reflect the growing global nature of ISPA.

“We have created a survey that is applicable to day spas in Houston all the way to hotel spas in Hong Kong,” he said. “We want to understand what impacts service provider retention and learn what the workforce thinks the industry can improve on.

The study will address topics of recruitment, engagement, retention and compensation, and can be completed at www.spaworkforcesurvey.com. McIlheney said he hopes to have 10,000 responses.

The ISPA 2017 U.S. Spa Industry Study indicated there are nearly 33,000 vacancies in the spa industry, with massage therapists accounted for 18,780 open positions – representing one in two unfilled positions.

“This workforce study will provide valuable insights into what motivates and influences employees within the spa industry,” said ISPA president Lynne McNees. “Assisting spas in filling vacancies and nurturing future spa professionals is a top priority for ISPA.”

Results from the study will be released in the first quarter of 2018.