And as companies reopen, many are discovering that with demand still weak, they don’t need or can’t afford as many workers as before the pandemic. Marcus Hotels, which operates more than a dozen hotels, mostly in the Midwest, began reopening its properties in June and has brought back about 60 percent of the nearly 4,000 employees it had before the pandemic. But in recent weeks, it has begun permanently laying off many of the employees who remained on furlough. Mr. Evans said that he thought the hotel business would bounce back eventually, but that it could take years to return to its previous level. And even when it does, he said, Marcus will probably not need as many workers.

Source: New York Times September 04, 2020 21:46 UTC