As summer approaches, labor shortages make seasonal hiring tough
As summer approaches, labor shortages make seasonal hiring tough
Even if the economy is cooling off a bit, the labor market is still pretty hot. And in many parts of the economy, labor shortages remain a big problem.
This is particularly acute for those businesses looking to hire seasonal workers this summer. Between low unemployment and tight caps on worker visas, summer hiring is going to be tough.
Take summers pools for instance: many are under construction to get ready for a busy season. But getting pools ready is one thing. Finding pool lifeguards is another. Last year, more than half of the country’s 300,000 public pools had to limit operations because they couldn’t find staff.
“Either they needed to shorten their hours, close down certain days of the week, or some cities and municipalities couldn’t even open half of their pools that they had,” said Bernard J. Fisher at the American Lifeguard Association. This year, he said it’s likely to be worse.
It’s been tough to staff summer jobs for years, so businesses have tried to get visas to bring in foreign labor. But even with more worker visas available this year, there still aren’t enough workers to fill all the open jobs.
“And they need everything from cooks, to waitstaff, to landscapers,” said Steve Hubbard at the American Immigration Council. “All those different types of jobs that you see at a resort or at a recreational facility that you may visit in the summer.”
And consumers are probably going to notice, according to Stephen Yale-Loehr, who teaches immigration law at Cornell University.
“They’re going to see it in terms of increased prices,” he explained. “When you go to a restaurant, because there’s not enough workers, you’re going to see it in terms of reduced hours” at restaurants and at the community recreation center.
So, even if the economy is cooling, it’s going to be tougher to find an open and staffed pool where people can cool off this summer.
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