On a good day, the service charge can lift her wages to as much as $27 an hour, on par with what she earned downtown. Low, inequitable or unpredictable wages, long hours and few benefits have long been accepted hallmarks of the American restaurant industry. But in the pandemic, many workers — whether laid off or facing health risks on the job — have concluded that those conditions are intolerable. Since the mandatory shutdowns of last year, restaurant workers have left their jobs in droves, and many have quit the industry for good. The hiring crisis has prompted many restaurants to raise wages: Pay for hourly workers in leisure and hospitality jumped 13% to an average of $16.60 in August, from $14.72 a year ago.

Source: bd News24 September 21, 2021 06:56 UTC