Though the hospitality and leisure industries in America only make up only 11% of the total workforce, their employees have endured over one-third of all job losses in the United States. Hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, and cafes make up the sector that is struggling more than any at the moment. And their staffs who keep these businesses afloat have been left scrambling, oftentimes forced to focus on new career paths and different opportunities that are conducive to post-pandemic life. More than half of the employees working in hospitality were laid off in March and April. Hiring picked up to two million returning jobs in June, but that number quickly stalled to only 600,000 by mid-summer. These staggering numbers beg the question of what the future of this industry holds. And how will these businesses adapt if they hope to stay in business.
One thing is certain; organization, safety, and technology will all be important factors that weigh heavily in the decision making process. And for many of these hospitality business operators, they will turn to property management software to update the way they operate to fit the new normal. With that being the case, many jobs that were once considered “service” positions may require substantially more familiarity with technology and organization as opposed to the people skills and human interaction that used to be the most necessary.
With fewer jobs to offer due to decreased business, it is also fair to wonder what the potential pool of future employees will look like as the hospitality industry tries to recover. This is an industry filled with many young individuals, many of whom have grown up with technology as a regular part of their lives. If the pandemic has made anything apparent to this work group, it is that there are going to be opportunities to work and make money remotely moving forward. Perhaps service industries are no longer easy or desirable options for income?
Safety is also a large concern for the workforce returning to the hospitality industries. People must consider if they want to work in an environment where they must interact with other people on a daily basis. The risk they are putting their families and loved ones in by working in these fields may not be worth the wages that are being offered. As the world moves to an economy that is more conducive to remote working opportunities, the hospitality industries are going to have to change their operating procedures. And property management software solutions will undoubtedly be at the forefront of organizing and adapting to that change.
Businesses have no choice but to make safety measures like social distancing a top priority if they hope to survive. That means fewer employees with more responsibilities, and many times, different assignments than the ones that they have grown accustomed to doing. If hospitality businesses hope to stay afloat during these unprecedented times, they will have no choice but to create new positions that are conducive to the world we now live in.