Catherwood LibraryILR School

As Covid restrictions regarding indoor dining and capacity requirements begin to ease in the US and other countries, the hospitality industry, eager to revive business after a long hibernation, is struggling to find workers for a variety of reasons. A restaurant owner in New Jersey is unable to open all her branches due to a 50% decrease in available staff, and in Queensland, Australia, the local government is offering $A1500 in bonuses, travel vouchers and discounted lodgings to “work in Paradise”. U.S. job openings in leisure and hospitality were at 1.2 million in March, but only 331,000 workers were added to payrolls in April, leaving many positions unfilled. In Australia, job openings are at a 12-year high and is at 45% above pre-Covid levels. In the UK, it’s estimated there are a quarter million fewer applicants from Western Europe and North American than before Covid. Other countries are faring better, such as Spain where tourism workers on furlough schemes are being recalled to work. Reasons for the worker shortage include an absence/decrease of foreign workers, both for positions in the U.S. as well as in other countries, a reluctance to return to work due to health concerns, child care issues, competition from other industries, and generous unemployment benefits.