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The tourism and hospitality industry is renowned for its demanding work environments involving shift work and working on holidays and making personal and social sacrifices. Additionally, the monetary rewards in this sector often lag behind other industries, resulting in a perpetual shortage of skilled labor. The outbreak of public health crisis has further exacerbated these challenges, leading to disruptions and uncertainties in the tourism and hospitality industry worldwide. This study explores the drivers of occupational change among hospitality workers in response to the public health crisis. To achieve this, Rhodes and Doering’s integrated career change model, in conjunction with Higgins’s self-regulatory theory, is utilized. The research focuses on examining the factors that are caused by COVID-19 on the career change of hospitality workers. A qualitative data analysis approach was adopted to gain comprehensive insights into the profound impact of occupational change on hospitality workers. The study seeks to contribute to the field and guide hospitality industry stakeholders by managing occupational change challenges better and improving employee retention. The findings are expected to provide broad implications for the tourism and hospitality sector, ensuring their sustainability and resilience in the face of future uncertainties.
Wu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.