The labour consequences of Covid-19: migrant workers in tourism and hospitality

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine the consequences of Covid-19 for the migrants and the tourism industry following the emergence of the new business models and operational practices in the following three areas: i) Covid-19 and post-Covid-19 labour shortages, ii) the development of migrant gig jobs and iii) future trends. Design/methodology/approach Covid-19 posed challenges for labour retention and has given rise to new outsourced and precarious forms of employment. The growth of various tourism-related apps and establishments, such as “ghost kitchens” or pop-up restaurants, has transformed the landscape of tourism work and opportunities. This short paper provides an overview of the labour consequences of Covid-19, focusing on migrant tourism workers. Findings Despite growing attention towards promoting sustainable, just and decent employment, global trends and changing industrial relations in the sector have led to heightened levels of precariousness and uncertainty in migrants’ work. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on tourism employment by examining the forms of new business models and operational practices that affect migrant labour.

Guest editorial: Tourism talent challenge post-pandemic and the way forward

“…The special issue concludes with a perspective paper by Janta and Ladkin (2023), “The labour consequences of Covid-19: migrant workers in tourism & hospitality.” This paper discusses the consequences of COVID-19 for the migrants and the tourism industry following the emergence of new business models, such as migrant gig jobs, and operational practices. The authors conclude, somewhat pessimistically, that despite growing attention toward promoting sustainable, just and decent employment, global trends and changing industrial relations in the sector have led to heightened levels of precariousness and uncertainty in migrants’ work.…”

“…The special issue concludes with a perspective paper by Janta and Ladkin (2023), "The labour consequences of Covid-19: migrant workers in tourism & hospitality." This paper discusses the consequences of COVID-19 for the migrants and the tourism industry following the emergence of new business models, such as migrant gig jobs, and operational practices.…”

“…First, the tourism industry is one of the economy sectors that has the biggest shortage of workers post-pandemic (Janta and Ladkin, 2023). To attract a quality workforce in this challenging landscape, the tourism industry should start with college students.…”

Charting the progress of technology adoption in tourism and hospitality in the era of industry 4.0

“…Many technologies aim to enhance the work environment, making employees' daily tasks more manageable and efficient whilst improving quality of life. As organisations embrace technologies to stay competitive and efficient, they must navigate various challenges to ensure responsible and effective implementation (Janta and Ladkin, 2024).…”

“…A new threat associated with the presence of AI-assisted robots in the workplace is the risk of workers' mental health deterioration (Chen and Ye, 2024). While much remains to be resolved in these complex social-technological systems (Efthymiou, 2018), it is clear that rapid advances in the use of service robots requires proactive ethical and legal attention by the tourism and hospitality industry to ensure not only establishing legal guidelines but also transparency and regulation (Janta and Ladkin, 2024).…”