Big Businesses Are Struggling to Fill Open Positions This Holiday Season
Article by Emily Canal | Found on INC.COM
The holidays are upon us, but not everyone is ready for the festivities to begin. Many companies are having a hard time finding seasonal workers this year.
That’s according to a new report from USA Today, which says that retail, food services, delivery and many other industries are struggling from the falling unemployment rate (a 17-year low of 4.1 percent) and can’t find enough people to fill open positions. Businesses are trying new ways to entice prospective workers this season, including offering them cash, benefits, and perks.
Target announced it’s increasing its hourly minimum wage to $11 and plans to go as high as $15 by 2020. At J.C. Penney, part-time employees will be eligible for one week of paid time off per year, starting in 2018. Additionally, UPS will offer up to $200 a week as a retention bonus for people who will work every day. The delivery company is also hosting recruiting parties complete with candy and movie-ticket giveaways.
“It’s gone from bad to brutal for employers in terms of the talent pool,” Ryan Abood, CEO of Exeter, New Hampshire-based Gourmet Giftbags, which makes upscale gift bags, told USA Today. “It’s bad when employers are busing workers to work to get enough people to execute the work we do.”
That’s what Gourmet Giftbags started doing; Abood says his company started a bus service that transports employees to and from work. While the low unemployment rate is putting companies in a bind, its beneficial for people looking for work (and a few extra perks) this holiday season.
Isler Northwest LLC is a firm of certified public accountants and business advisors based in Portland, Oregon. Our local, regional, and global resources, our expertise, and our emphasis on innovative solutions and continuity create value for our clients. Our service goals at Isler NW is to earn our clients trust as their primary business and financial advisors.
Isler Northwest
1300 SW 5th Avenue
Suite 2900
Portland, Oregon 97201
