‘Help Wanted’: Employers find a path forward

As businesses have reopened to a worker shortage, local employers seek solutions.

There was a time not too many months ago when dining out meant getting a meal delivered to home or car by a restaurant server or delivery service. Sitting down with friends and family in a busy restaurant was not an option during the darkest days of the COVID shutdown.

Closing off the dining rooms of restaurants to diners also meant no work for servers and fewer hours for the cooks and dishwashers.

Restaurant work went from a hectic high-volume task to trying to get by with takeout food and cocktails to go. Not every restaurant survived the challenge, but for those who did, reopening this spring as the region’s vaccination numbers rose and COVID incidence fell was a light at the end of the tunnel.

But for many workers, the tunnel took a turn somewhere along the way.

A variety of factors — three rounds of stimulus checks, concerns about the continuation of COVID, the cost/need for child care, remote work, closed schools — have contributed to a current labor shortage.

In the four-part series “Jobs: Help Wanted”, MediaNews Group reporters examined the issue, talking to business owners, county workforce development leaders, state Labor and Industry analysts, lawmakers and employees about how to navigate this road and map the future.

Some, including Guy Ciarrocchi, president and CEO of the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry, said the $300 per week enhanced unemployment benefit is a main driver of the employee shortage issue. He pointed to a national survey conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that found 52% of the respondents who were unemployed said they are making as much or more collecting unemployment than they would if they were working. A number of respondents “said it is causing them to not rush back to work either because they want to make more or they’re using this time to think about changing careers.”

Sarah DeSantis, press secretary for the state Department of Labor & Industry, said workers have a number of reasons for not returning. Besides personal safety or child care issues, some workers are simply looking for a more lucrative job. Others have found that working from home is preferable to commuting to the office. The Pulse of the American Worker survey, which polled 2,000 full-time workers, reported that 42% of those working from home said they will look for another job if they are forced to return to the office.

The concerns on the business side are that without dependable workers, customer service and business will suffer. If business owners have to pay more or increase benefits dramatically, the bottom line will suffer.

The situation has created what some call a “buyers’ market” favoring job seekers. There are plenty of jobs available and unemployed workers can afford to be choosy because of the financial support made available during the pandemic.

While some define “the dignity of work” as an employer’s responsibility to treat people well, others believe that getting people back to work should be the priority. State Rep. Jim Cox a Republican representing Berks and Lancaster counties, has proposed House Bill 508, which would phase out participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, and create in its place a Back-To-Work Bonus for workers.

“We want as many Pennsylvania workers as possible to be earning paychecks rather than cashing unemployment checks,” Cox said.

The labor shortage has brought renewed attention to the debate over minimum wage, which has remained unchanged in Pennsylvania at $7.25 since 2006. Also highlighted are the need for more affordable and flexible child care and other benefits, such as health care and paid time off.

In response to the shortage, employers are trying new things — hiring younger teens, better training, evaluating retention incentives — and adjusting business models to a smaller workforce.

COVID changed much in our lives, including how consumers interact with small businesses. For business owners, the dramatic temporary change to survive the pandemic has become a longer challenge to move to the next phase of reopening. Jobs are available: Help is wanted to get them filled and put the economy back to work.