Dancers leaving the industry

11 comments

• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  3 years ago

  Even post-Covid lockdowns, there's still a lot of hospitality workers (and other industries) who are exiting their current fields of work because they've realized that their jobs are vulnerable to any sort of upheaval that restricts public access (which includes but is not limited to pandemics). So, even if there isn't better pay, what they really want is stable pay. This is particularly true for workers who support families from within these vulnerable industries.
• minnow

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  3 years ago

  Hospitality industry isn't exactly a good career field, so many people in HI move on to bigger and better things. I suspect some new blood is reluctant to take a job in hospitality precisely because it is so vulnerable to disruptions from shutdowns. Double whammy of former employees moving on, and potential new hires reluctant to work there.
• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  3 years ago

  Hospitality remains a career option, though, to those who perhaps only have a high school diploma (or less). And those jobs are becoming fewer and fewer. So, while there may be a lot who want to leave hospitality, I suspect that there are also a lot who can't leave hospitality.
• gammanu95

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  3 years ago

  Hospitality industry is not meant as a long-term career unless you want to move into management. Swing shifts, holidays, weekends, short staffing, and asshole customers make it a challenging occupation. Add in the notoriously low wages and absent benefits... it is no wonder anyone who can leave would leave. It should only be considered a career by those who are just entering the workforce, are seeking a second job with no homework, or who have no other marketable skills. It is not meant to be a primary household income and should not expect $15/hr or other such bullshit. It is only a matter of time before these staffing shortages resolve, but the ball is already rolling towards full automation (digital ordering, self checkout, automated menus). These workers have negotiated themselves into obsolescence.
• theeastcoast757

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  3 years ago

  This is happening with other jobs as well like my favorite cashiers at the corner store have seemed to move on to better things.
• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  3 years ago

  Removing the push for a higher minimum wage would not have slowed the desire for automation in hospitality and other industries. There is no wage low enough (except perhaps outright slavery) that can be more cost effective than simply removing a human from the job (never mind other HR issues aside from pay). And, hospitality at one time was a lifelong career for people who were under-educated and under-skilled. People were bartenders, waiters, cooks, housekeepers, etc., for decades and "moved up" not by going to management, but by going to other businesses where both pay and tips were better. All while knowing that they'd never be "wealthy" per se, but at least relatively stable. Much like factory workers who knew that they'd never be "management material" (or didn't want to be), they stayed in long careers of lower-middle/middle class jobs for the stability. But, between upheaval and automation, those long-term, non-management jobs for under-skilled workers are becoming scarce, while the under-skilled workers themselves are not scarce. Back on topic ... this will affect strip clubs and other sex work much more slowly, I think. Even the "best" sex robots and sex dolls are still solidly not realistic and cater to a very small, niche audience. Perhaps someone will come up with a deep-fake/AI "model" that will generate revenue on OnlyFans, or some such platform. But, for the most part we require real human "workers" for what we enjoy, and what we enjoy (at least for now) commands higher pay than most jobs that don't require a degree. I think that the pandemic taught a lot of dancers that they need a "paper route" in addition to their club jobs, be that escorting, OnlyFans, sugaring, etc. This probably ties into NiceSpice's thread about the future of strip clubs to some degree.
• mark94

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  3 years ago

  A missing link in this is the good paying jobs ( $50,000 to $60,000 ) that are available with a 2 year degree from a community college or from an internship in the trades. Someone who is making $25,000 per year in hospitality can change their lives by learning some basic job skills. And, especially in construction, employers are begging for qualified workers. It’s difficult to support a family on $25,000 but in much of the country you can live a good life on $50,000.
• twentyfive

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  3 years ago

  I don’t think anyone would classify dancers as hospitality workers, maybe entertainers, some consider them sex workers, but they aren’t hospitality workers.
• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  3 years ago

  Well, I certainly prefer dancers that are hospitable over those that aren't... Joking aside, you're likely correct. They are almost certainly classified as entertainers rather than anything else.
• Estafador

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  3 years ago

  sounds like the strip clubs are in an inevitable position to die as technology increases.
• mark94

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  3 years ago

  I wasn’t claiming that strippers are hospitality workers but they are in the hospitality industry and there are parallels to what waitresses and bartenders experienced. The lockdown forced them to look for either employment or education alternatives. As they considered alternatives, many were surprised at what they found. A more stable job, maybe a healthier work environment, and decent pay. That’s especially true for dancers of a certain age who were facing the end of their entertainment career.