Hotels and restaurants have been too busy trying to find enough workers this summer to sort through the long-term pandemic fallout.
But as this week’s cover story reports, their recovery will be challenging – in part because many of the issues actually predate COVID-19.
Low pay and limited benefits have long plagued the industry. The pandemic has laid bare those inequities and contributed to workers’ slow return.
Reinstatement of work-search requirements for those on unemployment has helped, as has allowing recipients to earn more without losing the government benefits.
But those are only short-term fixes for what ails an industry that has been losing workers for years.
Compounding the problem is a lack of clear direction from within on the way forward.
Some believe a new pay and benefit structure is needed. Others want the state to step in with more pandemic aid.
Leadership must emerge from within the industry and government on a plan that should include pandemic aid tied to improving pay, benefits and training opportunities.