Changes to state unemployment requirements, federal payouts make it hard for employers to fill positions
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Legoland Florida just had a job fair on Wednesday in an attempt to fill 500 part and full-time jobs. Finding employees is easier said than done these days. There are a lot more jobs out there than there are people willing to take them.
"People say this is the worst labor crisis that they have had in their industry for the last 20 or 30 years," the CEO of the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, Katie Worthington Decker, told FOX 13.
The problem is plaguing almost all industries, including service, health care, construction and hospitality.
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Worthington Decker says there are at least two major factors that are fueling the problem.
In Florida, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the state no longer required people on unemployment to prove they were looking for a job. So, according to Worthington Decker, they didn’t look anymore. She also says when the federal government boosted the unemployment rate, it compounded the issue.
"It appears to a lot of our business owners that they are competing against that boost to federal unemployment in terms of being able to bring people back into the workforce," she continued.
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To sweeten the pot, many employers such as Legoland Florida are offering incentives, like a $500 signing bonus for certain job categories. Legoland is even offering free child care during interviews.
LINK: Click here for more information about Legoland Florida’s upcoming job events.
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