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Alex Peebles

Reporter

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U.S.

From extra pay to extra vacations to extra jobs — what the post-COVID working world is looking like

Jun 22, 2021

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The working world is changing post-COVID, as workers look to take advantage of a shrinking work force.

The newfound leverage could lead to bonus and raise opportunities.

According to the United States Department of Labor, average weekly wages in the leisure and hospitality industry went up by 10.55 percent from February 2020 to May 2021.

Other workers are taking advantage of the market to find a better paying, less stressful job.

The Department of Labor reported some 649,000 retail workers quit in April. That is the industry’s largest one-month exodus since the Labor Department began tracking such data more than 20 years ago.

With many parts of the world reopening, some businesses that became much busier during the early part of the pandemic are now able to take a break.

Bumble, an online dating service, gave its employees the week off to combat a “collective burnout.”

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Gwen Baumgardner: THE PANDEMIC CHANGED THE WAY WE DID BUSINESS.
NOW — THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS CHANGING IT AGAIN.
LOW-WAGE WORKERS HAVE NEW-FOUND LEVERAGE — DUE TO THE SHRINKING LABOR FORCE.
IF THEY CHOOSE TO STAY WHERE THEY ARE — IT COULD MEAN BONUS AND RAISE OPPORTUNITIES.
ACCORDING TO THE LABOR DEPARTMENT — AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGES AMONG LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY JOBS JUMPED MORE THAN 10 PERCENT BETWEEN LAST FEBRUARY AND LAST MONTH.
HOWEVER — MANY ARE CHOOSING TO LEAVE FOR BETTER PAYING AND LESS STRESSFUL JOBS.
THE LABOR DEPARTMENT REPORTED A RECORD 649-THOUSAND RETAIL WORKERS PUT IN THEIR NOTICES IN APRIL.
THE RETURN TO NORMAL IS ALSO ALLOWING BUSINESSES THAT WERE EXTREMELY BUSY DURING THE PANDEMIC TO GET A BREAK.
EMPLOYEES FOR THE ONLINE DATING SERVICE BUMBLE ARE ALL TAKING THE WEEK OFF — A MOVE BUMBLE’S FOUNDER MADE TO ADDRESS WORKER BURNOUT.