The Top Hourly Work Trends For 2025 You Can’t Afford to Ignore

If you think hourly work looks the same as it did five years ago, think again. From flexible shifts to AI-powered scheduling apps, the hourly workforce is changing fast, and businesses that want to stay competitive need to keep up. Whether you’re hiring for local jobs in retail, hospitality or manufacturing, understanding these trends isn’t optional. It’s how you attract job seekers, improve retention, and cut unnecessary costs. In this blog, we’ll break down the key hourly work trends according to labor statistics, with practical insights employers can use straight away.

Admin work is costing time and trust

Managing hourly workers shouldn’t feel like a second job. But for many employers, manual admin tasks are eating up hours that could be spent coaching teams, improving the workplace, or simply hiring better.

Hidden costs of manual admin tasks

If you're still using spreadsheets or basic tools to handle scheduling, payroll, or shift planning, you're not alone, and you're probably wasting a lot of time. According to recent data from Retail Bulletin and Legion, 65% of managers spend 3 to 10+ hours every week on tasks like scheduling, time tracking, and compliance.

That’s almost a quarter of the work week gone. No wonder so many businesses are struggling to retain skilled hourly employees or create space for meaningful team development.

Let’s break it down:

That’s time your managers could use to coach employees, improve the application process, or connect with job seekers, instead of sending texts to fill shifts.

Impact on staff morale and trust

This admin overload affects the whole workplace.

Here’s what breaks down when admin tasks take over:

• Communication gaps: When the focus is on spreadsheets, human connection suffers.

• Scheduling mistakes: Double bookings, missed shifts, or last-minute changes upset both workers and customers.

• Lower respect: Employees want leaders who support them, not just manage numbers.

Attrition risk is even higher in restaurants and hospitality

Hiring hourly employees in restaurants or hospitality? You’re dealing with the highest turnover risk of any industry right now.

Turnover statistics in frontline sectors

Labor statistics show that 63% of hourly workers plan to leave their job in the next 12 months. That’s more than half your workforce walking out the door.

And it’s even worse in restaurants and hospitality, where nearly 55% say they’ll leave the industry entirely. That’s not just a shift; it’s a mass exit. No amount of resume filters or job board boosts will help if the underlying issues aren’t fixed.

Root causes: inflexible schedules, admin burden, low pay

Why are so many hourly workers walking away? It boils down to three big challenges:

• Inflexible scheduling: Workers want the ability to pick flexible shifts, plan their week, and have more control over their hours. When schedules change last minute or don’t reflect availability, it pushes people to quit.

• Admin burden: Clunky systems make the application process, shift swaps, and schedule visibility painful, for both employers and employees.

• Lack of good pay and benefits: Many workers are juggling multiple jobs to cover rent or family costs. Without earned wage access or support, companies lose their workforce to businesses that offer more.

All three issues are avoidable. Employers just need to apply smarter tools, offer more flexibility, and treat hourly workers with the same attention they give salaried positions.

And yes, hourly worker should get opportunities to achieve skills growth, balance family responsibilities, and feel respected. That’s how you attract, retain, and motivate hourly employees who actually want to stay.

Schedule stability and worker wellbeing

If your employees can’t predict their week, they’ll start looking for other jobs. Simple as that.

Unpredictable schedules’ impact on retention

72% of hourly workers say flexible scheduling is the #1 factor (right after pay) that determines whether they stay or leave. And that makes sense. If shifts are constantly changing, employees can’t plan around school, childcare, or family responsibilities.

Here’s how unstable scheduling affects your business:

• More absences: Workers miss shifts when they’re notified too late.

• Lower retention: Employees leave if they can’t create any balance between work and life.

• Weakened trust: Teams feel disrespected when their availability isn’t taken seriously.

Hourly employees want more flexibility without having to beg for it. That means tools that allow them to swap shifts, view their schedule via an app, and pick extra shifts when they need good pay.

Micro‑shifts and Gen Z preferences

One trend worth noting: micro-shifts are on the rise, especially among Gen Z. Many job seekers are looking for six-hour shifts that allow them to work around UNI timetables or second jobs.

Why it works:

• Shorter shifts = less burnout

• Better attendance = easier to manage

• More attractive roles = easier to find and apply

This trend is especially strong in retail, hospitality, and local jobs. For employers, it’s a smart way to fill peak-hour coverage while offering the kind of flexibility that actually keeps workers around.

Flexible and hybrid working models

The idea that hourly workers can’t be flexible is outdated. More companies are now piloting flextime schemes and even four-day workweeks for shift-based roles.

Here are a few frameworks that are gaining traction:

• Compressed hours: Full-time weekly hours completed in fewer days (e.g. 4×10-hour shifts).

• Job sharing: Two part-time workers split one full-time position.

• Flex-starts: Letting workers choose morning or afternoon shifts based on availability.

These models help workers reduce burnout, improve shift coverage, and help businesses retain skilled hourly employees for longer.

Closing the flexibility gap

There’s still a big gap between frontline roles and office jobs when it comes to flexibility.

Office employees often have the ability to work from home, shift hours around, or take quick breaks. Meanwhile, hourly employees in retail or manufacturing are expected to show up, follow rigid shifts, and adapt on the fly, with zero input.

That double standard creates friction and damages your reputation as an employer. If companies want to attract better workers, they need to offer more equal flexibility across roles.

Examples that help close this gap:

• Giving hourly workers access to scheduling apps with real-time shift updates

• Letting team members pick up open shifts without needing to call a manager

• Providing tools that track skills and suggest growth opportunities, just like office staff get

Flexibility is a key part of modern workforce planning. And it’s how businesses build teams that actually want to stay.

Fairness, inclusion and pay transparency

The hourly workforce is asking for more fairness, respect, and good pay they can live on.

Pay equity and transparency regulations

In both the US and UK, pay transparency laws are picking up speed. Employers are now expected to show how they set pay rates, prove fairness across positions, and even share salary ranges in job ads.

Here’s what’s happening:

• In the UK: Companies with over 250 employees are already required to report gender pay gaps. Now, there’s pressure to expand this to include ethnicity and hourly pay bands.

• In the US: Several states (like California, New York, and Colorado) require salary ranges in job listings. That affects retail, manufacturing, and hospitality businesses with hourly workers.

Ignoring this trend hurts your reputation and could even limit your ability to attract job seekers looking for local jobs with transparent benefits.

Recognition, inclusion and two‑tier equity

There’s still a big divide between how hourly employees and salaried staff are treated. While one group gets performance bonuses, training, and flexible work-from-home perks, the other gets little more than rigid shifts and delayed communication.

This two-tier system creates friction. But it’s fixable.

Here’s what employees value beyond pay:

• Recognition for good work (even small wins)

• Fair shift allocation based on performance and availability

• Opportunities to grow, not just stay put

Companies that create fair scheduling processes, offer public recognition, and give hourly workers access to the same tools as office staff see better retention and more engagement across the board.

Strategic HR and data-driven decisions

Running a business with a large hourly workforce? Then you’re sitting on a goldmine of data, you just need to use it.

Using analytics to prevent turnover

In sectors like hospitality and retail, data can show you exactly when and why employees leave. Predictive analytics tools help identify:

• High-risk turnover periods (e.g. post-holiday slump)

• Workers with increased absence patterns

• Scheduling issues causing burnout

By spotting patterns early, you can adjust shifts, offer better balance, or open a chat before people quit.

📊 Example:

This kind of data gives HR and managers the ability to act, not guess.

ROI from HR tech investments

Many employers still see HR tech as a “nice to have,” especially for hourly workers. But the ROI is hard to ignore when you look at the numbers.

If you use workforce tools that streamline scheduling, shift management, and communication:

• You save up to 10+ hours per week in admin

• You free up time to coach and support staff

• You lower no-shows and improve shift coverage

• You improve overall team retention and performance

The best part? Many of these apps are affordable, scalable, and designed for businesses with hourly employees. Some even integrate directly with payroll and shift-based performance tracking.

Automation can cut costs and drive performance

Let’s stop pretending automation is a future thing. It’s here, and it’s already helping companies cut labour costs while boosting results.

Ai‑enabled scheduling and task automation

According to labor statistics 65% of managers say AI would make scheduling easier. But only 11% are using AI-powered tools. That’s a massive gap, and a missed opportunity.

Here’s what AI scheduling can do:

• Auto-fill shifts based on performance, availability, and preferences

• Avoid last-minute callouts by suggesting backup options instantly

• Reduce human error in compliance and overtime limits

Cost savings in restaurants and hospitality

For restaurants and hospitality especially, AI-powered workforce tools are a lifeline.

Here’s what businesses have reported after switching:

Smart automation gives managers the ability to focus on people, not paperwork, and that’s what drives real results across the entire hourly workforce.

How Shiftbase helps you manage hourly workforce smarter

Managing hourly workers doesn’t have to be complicated or manual. With Shiftbase, you get powerful tools to simplify scheduling, save hours on admin, and give your team more flexibility without losing control.

Here’s how Shiftbase supports your team:

• Use employee scheduling to build smart rotas fast and match the right people to the right shifts

• Track hours and attendance accurately with time tracking features that sync across your team

• Stay on top of time off, sick leave, and availability with our absence management tools

Whether you run a restaurant, retail chain, or manufacturing site, Shiftbase gives you the ability to streamline daily operations and keep hourly workers engaged.

👉 Ready to cut admin and boost retention? Try Shiftbase free for 14 days and see the difference.

Employee scheduling and Time-tracking software!

• Easy Employee scheduling
• Clear time-tracking
• Simple absence management

Try for free Request a demo