The pandemic is going to push over 50% of hospitality workers out the door

The shift to remote work and the bustling post-pandemic recruiting frenzy has made it increasingly easy for hospitality workers to switch jobs in search of better opportunities, signaling trouble for businesses who rely on this workforce.

Fifty-eight percent of hospitality workers say that they are planning to quit their jobs before the end of 2021, according to Joblist’s most recent quarterly U.S. Job Market Report. Twenty-four percent said they would not have quit their last job if the pandemic had not occurred, and 25% of former hospitality workers report they would not want to work in the industry again.

“In general, the pandemic created an opportunity for hospitality workers — many of whom were furloughed or lost their jobs — to reevaluate their employment situation and consider other career options moving forward,” says Kevin Harrington, CEO of Joblist. “A significant percentage are clearly taking advantage and pursuing higher paying, less demanding and more flexible jobs.”

Read more: Employers beware: These signs could mean your employees are jumping ship

The hospitality industry — which includes restaurants, bars and hotels — has always faced high employee turnover rates, but the additional stressors caused by the pandemic have significantly worsened conditions for workers. Forty-five percent of hospitality workers who have remained employed report lower job satisfaction now than before the pandemic, citing difficult customers (38%), schedule inflexibility (34%), COVID-19 risk (23%) and physical demands (23%) as reasons for their unhappiness, the report found.

“At the same time, an even higher percentage report low pay and lack of benefits for not wanting to return,” Harrington says. “Demanding work, with health risk and low financial upside is a tough combination when compared to many other potential roles.”

And hospitality workers have a plethora of new — and better — options to turn to, Harrington says. Combined with the increased wage competition spurred on by companies like Amazon — which recently upped their average starting wage to more than $18 an hour — attrition rates are anticipated to stay high unless employers increase pay, add or improve benefits and offer more scheduling flexibility.

Read more: The top reasons employees are quitting at record rates

If they don’t, employers will need to continue increasing wages and actively recruit to fill their open roles, Harrington warns, which means heightened expenses for employers and continued problems with understaffing. Although it may be expensive in the short-term, the aforementioned solutions will provide a potential path to filling positions quickly while saving money on recruiting and training costs.

“The power balance is shifting more and more to the workers in this market,” Harrington says. “Employers will need to adapt in order to remain competitive. Otherwise, turnover will remain high.”