The hospitality labour strain cycle: a thematic review of workforce instability in the post-pandemic hospitality industry

Abstract

This thematic review examines labour challenges in the hospitality industry through a qualitative content analysis of 48 peer-reviewed studies. Drawing on database searches, manual screening and MAXQDA-assisted coding, the analysis identifies five dominant and interconnected themes: employee turnover, burnout, wage disparity, work-life imbalance and the fallout from the “Great Resignation”. Rather than treating these issues as separate managerial problems, the review synthesises them into a hospitality labour strain cycle in which compensation pressures, scheduling strain, emotional labour and staffing instability reinforce one another. The article offers a clearer conceptual account of workforce instability and develops practical implications for hospitality managers focused on retention, workload design, culture and workforce resilience.