Many of the tens of thousands of employees who were laid off from the restaurant and travel industries during the pandemic have fared relatively well, according to private employment agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs are available if you are active and prepared to change careers \u2013 but many are still looking for work and some have had to pay in the form of lower wages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is true that many people are still out of work and those who had temporary jobs before the crisis are having a tougher time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But statistics from TRR and TSL, the private employment agencies run by unions and employers, show that the transition time from dismissal to a new job or studies has been faster than for other groups in the labor market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201d"Considering how the situation has been and is looking, we think things are going much better for our participants than we could have expected," says Caroline S\u00f6der, CEO of TSL, which helps LO groups find new jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Lennart Hedstr\u00f6m, CEO of the civil servant equivalent, TRR, one thing is clear: Those who are open to new paths have a greater chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dMore and more people need to consider changing industries,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that's what the numbers show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dMore people are changing industries or studying than before,\u201d says Lennart Hedstr\u00f6m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the more than 2,500 white-collar workers who have been laid off in the restaurant and tourism industry and ended up on TRR's rolls, three-quarters have chosen to leave their old careers, either for a job in another profession or to study for retraining - a development that is encouraged by Lennart Hedstr\u00f6m as the labor market changes at an increasingly rapid pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dI think you see a healthier attitude towards change,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In general, many younger people in the restaurant, hotel and tourism industries were affected by last year's wave of layoffs and are also the ones who recover the fastest, TRR's statistics show. For those particularly hard hit in the aviation industry, the transition has been tougher. Many have worked for a long time and a transition has meant worse finances. Approximately half of the former aviation employees who have found new jobs have been forced to take a pay cut, according to TRR's figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among workers, not as many change jobs. Only a third have changed industries, often to trade and warehousing or care professions within healthcare. About twice as many, twelve percent, than normal, invest in education among those laid off, according to TSL's statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the majority will remain. Many employers are rehiring the dismissed staff, often on a need-based basis, and all the government's support efforts have played a role in this, according to Caroline S\u00f6der.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dMany people hope for a turnaround and they often want to stay in the industry,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n