Sendik’s seeks to fill 220 jobs

Grocer holding ‘instant interviews’ Wednesday

Milwaukee-based grocery company Sendik’s Food Markets said Monday it is seeking to fill 220 open positions across its 17-store chain.

Of those open jobs, 80 are full-time, the company said in a statement.

Sendik’s said it is hosting an “Instant Interview Day” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at its corporate offices, 7225 W. Marcia Road in Milwaukee.

Forget about filling out an application and then waiting to hear back from the potential employer. If you show up, you’ll get a job interview on the spot, the company said.

Sendik’s also is offering sign-on bonuses of $3,000 for full-time deli managers and produce managers and $1,000 for full-time bakery managers.

The grocery company said job candidates can complete an application online at sendiks.com/jobs prior to attending the event.

“Obviously with Wisconsin’s unemployment rate being so low, it’s a very tight labor market, which makes finding workers very competitive,” Marissa Worzella, marketing/customer insights manager at Sendik’s, said in an email.

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has been hovering at or near a record low of 2.8 percent for much of the year. The U.S. unemployment rate was at 3.9 percent in August.

Statistically, those figures essentially represent full employment.

The strong employment numbers have driven wages higher.

In August, average hourly earnings for all employees on private non-farm payrolls rose by 10 cents to $27.16, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 77 cents, or 2.9 percent. Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and non-supervisory employees increased by 7 cents to $22.73 in August.

For Sendik’s, the most difficult positions to fill include management, meat cutters and chefs, Worzella said.

The tight labor market has Sendik’s constantly working to make sure its benefits package for employees remains competitive with the marketplace. Among the benefits the company offers are health insurance, a 401(k) plan and a 10 percent discount on groceries.

“Sendik’s is always looking to stay competitive with the external market, therefore we are always evaluating our compensation and benefits,” Worzella said in the email.

The company held an Instant Interview Day in June and attracted 125 candidates, Worzella said.

“We’re hoping for a similar response” on Wednesday, she said.

Sendik’s is certainly not alone in seeking to attract workers.

The retail industry overall “continues to have a sizable number of job openings,” Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist for the National Retail Federation, said in an August statement on the retail and national employment situation.

“The strong overall job growth across industries reflects the tight labor market but also shows that the economy is strong,” Kleinhenz said in the statement. “Hiring is an important driver of consumer confidence and a confident consumer is a confident spender.”