Nearly 120,000 hospitality jobs lost in pandemic

Almost 120,000 people lost jobs in the hospitality industry during the coronavirus pandemic and its accompanying lockdowns. That is more than a quarter of all jobs, according to figures released by benefits agency UWV. Some of the lost jobs have returned, and there is now even a staff shortage in the sector, NU.nl reports.

During the first and second waves of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands, restaurants, bars, and clubs had to close completely. Only hotels were allowed to remain open under restrictions.

Before the pandemic hit in March 2020, the hospitality industry employed 424,000 people. By February 2021, that decreased to 305,000. At the end of January, a total of 27,000 former hospitality employees were on unemployment benefits.

Bars and restaurants were allowed to open again, with restrictions, from the spring. Since then, the number of people employed in the hospitality industry has increased to over 400,000. And that number may rise further. In the first half of this year, there were no fewer than 29,000 vacancies, compared to 6,000 at the start of the year.