COVID-19 has changed everything we thought we knew about hiring and looking for jobs.
Some new information is alerting us to how stressful the seasonal job market will be for the upcoming holidays this year, especially for smaller businesses.
The labor shortage caused by a number of factors during the pandemic is making the hiring process a little more complicated. For this reason, experts urge companies to start looking for seasonal workers now.
“The hiring process takes a while and it takes a long career to get the people you need,” said Casey Hasten, director of recruiting at DFW-based recruiting firm VIP. “We’re going through some strange times in the world of attitudes.”
There are thousands of jobs in North Texas. We have a list to help you get started.
If you are looking for a job, experts say you have the upper hand right now.
“People who go back to work are very picky,” said Hasten.
Willing workers are hard to find and people are able to negotiate perks as desperate employers go out of their way to get them on the staff.
Companies like 7-Eleven, Chick-fil-A, and many restaurants offer incentives such as higher hourly wages and signing bonuses.
UPS even shortens the tedious hiring process and gives people job offers within 30 minutes of applying.
Some like Target also offer free lessons. Walmart announced plans to hire 20,000 workers who are eligible for debt-free bachelor’s degrees through the company’s Live Better U program.
Amazon announced last week it would hire 125,000 employees, including thousands in Texas, at an average starting wage of more than $ 18 an hour with a $ 3,000 sign-up bonus at certain fulfillment centers.
Hasten said the big battle this season will be for small businesses that simply don’t have the money to offer perks that larger businesses can offer.
As many in North Texas have probably noticed, smaller businesses and businesses are in dire need of staff.
“Around 49% of small businesses stated that they had vacancies that they could not fill. It’s hard for them to keep increasing their hourly wages unless they can compete with bigger companies like Target, Walmart, and McDonald’s. McDonald’s has some pretty good wages now, too, “said Hasten.” I don’t know how small businesses can do that and be competitive. It’s a very difficult scenario at the moment. “
Experts advise smaller businesses to really seek help from college students so that they can be up and running by the start of the winter break.
“Go to these colleges and universities and community colleges – because these kids are about to break and want to make some extra cash during the break,” Hasten said.
Business owners should also reach out to their current employees for internal referrals. Local perks that might not break the bank include higher salaries and offers to cover parking or bus fares.
It also goes beyond the holidays. Organizations are now more focused on hiring permanent staff than on temporary workers.
With the ongoing labor shortage, companies are also realistic about their hiring targets for the holidays.
Target even plans to hire fewer seasonal workers this year and instead offer more to those it has.
In fact, recruiters are predicting retailers will hire 700,000 people this holiday season, over 36,000 fewer than last year.
Despite the hiring perks, analysts warn that high consumer demand and low staffing levels during the Christmas season could make lines long and minds short, according to NBC News.
“We expect retail sales this year to grow year over year – and retailers need to prepare for that,” Melissa Hassett, vice president of recruitment for recruitment agency ManpowerGroup Talent Solutions, told NBC News. “The intention to hire in the coming quarter is higher than ever.”
However, at the beginning of the pandemic, millions of people – mostly women – left working life entirely for health and family reasons, layoffs or childcare. That number has increased further this year.
Even though the pandemic unemployment benefits ran out last week, the positions still remain unfilled.
According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy created only 235,000 jobs and lost 29,000 retail jobs in August.
According to data from talent cloud company iCIMS, there was also a 44% year-to-date decrease in retail applications per opening in August, compared with a 19% decrease in other industries.
It now takes 40 days to fill a position in retail, up 21% from April this year, iCIMS reported.
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