The food service industry has been facing labor shortages as workers leave restaurants to work, prioritizing childcare and mental health, and exploring industries with better opportunities.
A study Black Box Smart and Snagajob The study found that although job vacancies for limited service workers increased by 70% and hourly wages increased by 10%, the number of potential employees decreased by 10%.
“I haven’t even received a call for a week,” Sue Choi, who owns several Korean restaurants in New York City, Tell ABC News.
As more and more workers refuse to work in the industry, restaurants and fast-food restaurants find themselves posting “help needed” signs on their windows more frequently.
For many workers with children, the food industry is particularly challenging. The report found that restaurant staff often find themselves working long hours and limited options for childcare services, especially when schools use hybrid or remote methods.
Restaurant work also has an impact on the mental health of employees. Approximately 78% of workers said that their mental health has been negatively affected in the past year, and their work is not worth the stress at all.
Another contributing factor is the heavy work environment. The study found that 51% of employees said that restaurant work lacks a consistent timetable and the salary they want.
As workers leave this industry, they are attracted to other industries with better opportunities because the job market has recently hit a record high 9.2 million job openings.
According to an economic development researcher Chuck McShane “During the pandemic, restaurant workers’turned’ and turned to work in building materials and gardening supply stores, which have experienced a boom in the housing and home gardening boom of the past year.
There is more in this industry Stable working hours and higher wages. The average hourly wage in the construction supplies and wholesale industries is US$17.48, while the average hourly wage in the catering industry is US$12.29. According to payscale.com.
Gary Bertelis, a senior researcher in economics at the Brookings Institution, told ABC News that unemployment benefits may also be a factor in the current labor shortage.
“The generosity of unemployment benefits undoubtedly partly explains why I think these low-paying institutions are particularly difficult to persuade people to return to work, but not only that,” Gary Burtless, Brookings Institution Economic Research The senior researcher told ABC News. “Many families have childcare problems… and worry about contracting the new coronavirus in your workplace.”
The Black Box Intelligence and Snagajob reports recommend that restaurants provide greater flexibility in business hours to accommodate childcare arrangements, publicize job benefits and allowances, and create a publicity about mental health, wearing masks, and harassing customers Dialogue culture.
