Help wanted:

[Ray,IN]

We are at Pigeon Forge this week for DW's birthday celebration. Every business has a help wanted sign in the window. Today we went in Joe's crab shack for dinner, the hostess said it would be at least a 1 hr. wait. The dining room was around 1/2 full so i asked why the long wait. She replied they were very short staffed in the kitchen. So, we went to another seafood restaurant, which was quite busy. I asked about their help situation and was told they had 8 quit after one day - yesterday. One of the one-day workers said the only reason they worked the day was to re-qualify for unemployment benefits.

That is a common theme here it seems. The dinner shows are only operating from 2-8PM due to under-staffing. I could go on and on repeating what business owners are telling me, but you get the drift.

 

[sandsys]

16 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

One of the one-day workers said the only reason they worked the day was to re-qualify for unemployment benefits.

I thought you couldn't get unemployment if you voluntarily quit a job. In fact, here in Minnesota at least, you have to document that you are actively looking for a job. Of course, I have no idea how that might have changed with the pandemic but I doubt working one day then quitting would requalify you.

Linda

[whj469]

That is a seasonal hotspot and they always need extra help at certain times of the year. I have never met anyone who wouldn't work to get unemployment, never. I wonder if they have tried increasing wages? Many of those low wage workers are not able to get buy with the very low wages they are paid. Have they heard of the $15 per hour minimum wage?

[Kirk W]

Most states suspended the requirement to show effort to find a job in order to get unemployment during the worst of covid but at least some of the states have instituted that requirement again. 

Quote

On November 1, 2020, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) reinstated work search requirements. ... Work search is a federal requirement that TWC suspended March 2020. Work search actives can be completed safely online and will help prepare claimants for the expiration of CARES Act funding on December 26, 2020.

We see "now hiring" signs pretty much everywhere we go in the Dallas area. That should begin to improve now that all daycare facilities are open again and covid is declining.

[Chalkie]

My daughter-in-law works in the food service industry, fancy way of saying she works for a restaurant, and tells me the reason they have a hard time getting help is because of the pandemic unemployment bonuses that effectively pay more than could be earned actually working. Her place of employment is offering a $1000 signing bonus if an employee completes 3 months of work and a $500 bonus to the referring employee, if there was one. They are still having trouble getting people to work. In the meantime, she is dragging in $800-$1000 in tips alone over an average weekend. She sees others refusal to work as her gain.

[Pat & Pete]

32 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

Most states suspended the requirement to show effort to find a job in order to get unemployment during the worst of covid but at least some of the states have instituted that requirement again. 

We see "now hiring" signs pretty much everywhere we go in the Dallas area. That should begin to improve now that all daycare facilities are open again and covid is declining.

I've seen / see them from south Texas to northern Michigan . Almost every time I go out , anywhere .

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, Pat & Pete said:

I've seen / see them from south Texas to northern Michigan . Almost every time I go out , anywhere .

It isn't just in food service. We were in a medical facility last Monday that had "now hiring" signs at both public entrances. The Walmart store where we shop has the signs as did the Lowes where we were last week. 

[Pat & Pete]

36 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

It isn't just in food service. We were in a medical facility last Monday that had "now hiring" signs at both public entrances. The Walmart store where we shop has the signs as did the Lowes where we were last week. 

Yup . Like I said "anywhere" , which = everywhere .

[Ray,IN]

There such a shortage of workers in Seveir county Dollywood bus's in approx, 2,000 workers every day from several nearby cities. The most reliable worker pool consists of retired people according to one business owner.

 

 

[dblr]

WE have one of the oldest free entry amusement parks in Pa called Knoebels which is also having a hard time getting employees, they are trying their best to stay operational with less food stands open and even some rides they can not staff, I hear one ride takes 7 people to operate and it is one of the most popular rides in the park. My wife and I are actually running a Forest River Owners Group ( FROG ) rally there in 2 weekends brining in 40 rigs

[Kirk W]

Top 30 Companies Hiring in June

[Wrknrvr]

 There is another side to this story.

 1.   The person not wanting to work may have had someone close to them die from covid.

 2.  The person may be taking care someone that there parent passed away from covid was taking care of.

  3. They may have had a opportunity to meet some people as I have. Just two days  ago a customer called for repairs on his Motorhome. I asked him if he was vaccinated. No he said..Nor was his wife.      but he did invite me into his Motorhome to see the control panel. I said take pictures

  That couple really makes me mad as they did not care about me or my wife.  He can fix his problem himself.

 

  Now I really want you to think about what my niece does for her job. And she is really having trouble with people who do not care.

 

  If you get to meet her she will make you happy. She will serve you food, just not through the mouth as it has a tube in it. And maybe hold your hand till you transfer. She is a end of life icu nurse for covid patients.

 

 I want you to think when someone cannot serve you food, think of my niece.

 

Vern

 

  I will say I have not had 1 person call about a service call since this pandemic started and said about being vaccinated or were concerned about covid. I have had people want me to work on there commode, black water tank, sinks and all kinds of stuff. They never Mentioned covid.   

 

    This may be harsh to some, but I am a practical person. And I do not need to work. I mostly do it to help people. As in the battery problem on the forum.

 

 Sorry if I offended anyone 

[Dutch_12078]

Most states have rules that deny unemployment payments to people refusing jobs without a valid reason. I wonder why they're not enforcing those rules more effectively to minimize the number of "make more not working" folks...

[Jaydrvr]

2 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

Most states have rules that deny unemployment payments to people refusing jobs without a valid reason. I wonder why they're not enforcing those rules more effectively to minimize the number of "make more not working" folks...

Because those rules were specifically suspended during the pandemic. Depending on the individual state structure, you do have to certify that you're unemployed due to a variety of Covid related reasons. Jay

[Kirk W]

Quote

Some states, such as North Dakota and Wyoming, have had their job-search requirement back in place for months, while others, including Arizona and South Carolina, are just announcing its reinstatement.                   May 17, 2021

I found the above quote on Google. 

[Chalkie]

9 hours ago, Wrknrvr said:

 There is another side to this story.

 1.   The person not wanting to work may have had someone close to them die from covid.

 2.  The person may be taking care someone that there parent passed away from covid was taking care of.

 

I hate to say it, well, no I don't, but there are folks using COVID as a crutch, an excuse. When my Dad passed away, I got 2 weeks off past whatever vacation time I had accrued. This was many years pre-COVID. I got NO ADDED time off to take care of Mom once her primary care (my Dad) was no longer there while I had to make changes to my home and add items to assist my Mom in living with us. 

This is life! You can deal with it like an adult or you can whine about it and I, for one, have a low tolerance threshold for a whiner. 

God Bless the first responders! And God Bless the fortitude to provide hospice care! 

Please don't try to pin all the ills of the world on COVID!!

[Barbaraok]

Could it be that some people decided that they really don't want to work for starvation wages.  Or that they were able to finish course work leading to a better job in some other line of work.   A lot of people are dealing with long-haulers syndrome which can be quite debilitating.   And for a lot of women, there is no reliable child-care available until schools start back up in the fall - plus they may have lost their child care (grandmother) to Covid during the past year.   

[bobsallyh]

Another problem is so many prospective employees can't pass the pee test! Several years ago we were in Pendleton, OR and at Walmart were two folks manning a kiosk to hire school bus drivers. Kind of got my attention quickly, not that I was hunting a job. Because bus drivers openings where we were from were easy to fill if there was any turnover.  The couple informed me that they would get plenty applications but the greatest percentage, again, couldn't pass the pee test.

[whj469]

That is why Amazon has dropped weed from the drugs that they test for.

[Lou Schneider]

On 6/11/2021 at 2:39 PM, bobsallyh said:

Another problem is so many prospective employees can't pass the pee test! Several years ago we were in Pendleton, OR and at Walmart were two folks manning a kiosk to hire school bus drivers. Kind of got my attention quickly, not that I was hunting a job. Because bus drivers openings where we were from were easy to fill if there was any turnover.  The couple informed me that they would get plenty applications but the greatest percentage, again, couldn't pass the pee test.

Drug testing for any commercial driver is a federal requirement.  Not just at the time they're hired but any time on a random basis.

[trostberg]

So I am working a temporary position at a hospital hired to work 20 hours a week in a state that has a $13.69 min wage   I have done workamping in the past in many states for $10 but as a single am not able to find jobs that allow you to work only 20 hours a week.  The total hours we are working has been cut since we have had trouble finding enough staff from 7 days a week 12 hours to 5 days a week 8 hours.   Now I am only getting 7 hours a week.   People are moving up to better wages and benefits in other hospital positions.  I prefer the temp position but would like a few more hours.   Next month someone else may quit and that may happen.  It is a changing situation.

I wish there were more opportunities for paid workamping at 20 hours a week for a single.  

Maybe employers need to be a bit more creative in their requirements

 

 

Edited June 14, 2021 by trostberg

[sandsys]

7 minutes ago, trostberg said:

I wish there were more opportunities for paid workamping at 20 hours a week for a single.  

Maybe employers need to be a bit more creative in their requirements

I suspect it's because the parking space is part of the pay so giving a single a space means the park is "paying" that person twice as much as a couple.

Linda

[trostberg]

Linda

I do know that parking is part of the issue.   My little Class B takes much less electric than a couple in a larger rig and I am not usually in the park on my days off so I have offered them to rent out my site and even dry camp if need be.   Supply and demand.   I am finding some parks wanting to hire local and not give a parking spot at all.

[RV_]

So far all I am seeing is hearsay. Of course a restaurant owner is not going to admit they are only offering minimum wages or that their state has $7.25 an hour or thereabouts minimum wage laws.

So how about some facts and figures for the area you are commenting on with links to what the folks unable to find workers are paying? I know in some areas they still pay $7.25 an hour! Some pay under the table even less, but do not report it, cheating the worker and the IRS.

Here is a list of all states and their minimum wages by state alphabetically to help you get started:

https://www.minimum-wage.org/wage-by-state

Notice the ones complaining seem to be in the lowest minimum wage states?

The below was culled from the whole list in the link above. All amounts are per hour wages as of 2021.

Alabama $7.25 Florida $8.65 Georgia $7.25 Idaho $7.25 Indiana $7.25 Iowa $7.25 Kansas $7.25 Kentucky $7.25 Louisiana $7.25 Mississippi $7.25 Montana $8.75 New Hampshire $7.25 North Carolina  $7.25 North Dakota $7.25 Oklahoma $7.25 Pennsylvania $7.25 South Carolina $7.25 Tennessee $7.25 Texas $7.25 Utah $7.25 Virginia $7.25 Wisconsin $7.25 Wyoming $7.25 Puerto Rico $6.55 A living wage is the solution in my opinion. If you go to the list I doubt the higher wage states are having issues.

Edited June 16, 2021 by RV_

[Randyretired]

RV Colorado isn't on your list but here in Western Colorado restaurants and many other businesses are short of help.  The Wendy's  we were at yesterday has a help wanted sign and an additional sign that says Please be patient we are very short on staff.  Help wanted signs are common throughout our area.  I was recently in Lowe's and Home Depot and each has a help wanted sign.  The hydraulic supply store I was in yesterday also has a help wanted sign.  If my traveling about is any indication there would seem to be a significant shortage of workers here.