Work and employment are a significant constituent part of tourism and are gaining ground as an area of research. This review paper offers a critical reflection on the field of tourism work and employment. Drawing from two historical review papers and new empirical analysis, themes within the literature are identified, providing an overview of the current focus and scope of research. This is followed by an exploration of traditions of work published within Annals of Tourism Research, from 1973 to 2020. Driven by the imperative to better understand the tourism workforce, the review offers observations on the current body of work and a consideration of future research foci. Conclusions focus on assessing evidence for the maturity of the field of tourism work and employment research.