The “job seeker market” persists as employers continue to struggle to find and retain workers.
Last spring, half of Mindy Simmons’ crew at the Decadent Creations bakery in downtown Hillsboro quit when the cases of COVID-19 emerged.
Hiring new employees is always a challenge, but with many people unemployed due to the pandemic, Simmons says she received some of the best applicants she’s ever had.
That was a year ago, and now Simmons, like many food employers across the country, is struggling to fill several new open positions as the pandemic subsides and the economy slowly returns to normal.
Government employment agencies call it a “job seeker market” as hospitality jobs are returning.
Hiring in Oregon had virtually stalled between April and May. The state unemployment rate remained steady at 5.9% in April and May, the first time unemployment has fallen below 6% since the pandemic broke out, which rocketed unemployment rates, according to the Oregon Department of Employment.
OED employment economist Gail Krumenauer told Oregon Public Broadcasting that Oregon has been creating jobs at a dizzying pace in recent months.
“[T]There were an enormous number of new hires in Oregon in 2021, “said Krumenauer. A total of 52,500 jobs were added in the last five months.
“Leisure and hospitality have packed as many staff in five months as in the five years before the pandemic,” said Krumenauer.
But attitudes in restaurants and hotels remain a struggle.
“There are so many jobs right now,” said Simmons. “Employees have so many options, so many options.”
In Washington County, the number of people classified as “unemployed” fell by approximately 1,000 between April and May.
While some have said that unemployment benefits are preventing people from returning to work, state employment officials say it is not a dominant factor. Instead, economists are helping to contribute to factors such as a persistent lack of childcare, ongoing health concerns about COVID-19, and people needing more time to return to work due to pandemic-induced career changes.
Oregon’s unemployment rate matches the national total, which fell to 5.8% in May.
Farmers’ markets feel the pinch
Restaurants offer atypical incentives to attract workers. Popular restaurant chain McMenamins, which has multiple locations in Washington County, is offering a $ 1,000 hire bonus for new workers who stay for at least 90 days.
The hiring difficulties of the food producers are also evident in the Hillsboro Farmers’ Markets, where the number of sellers who come to the Saturday and Sunday markets has decreased compared to normal years.
Markets manager Liz Connor says markets averaged around 90 vendors in the years leading up to the pandemic.
In the past few weeks, according to Connor, around 60 providers were constantly present, with up to 15 expected providers calling at the last minute every week because they could not occupy a market stall.
“We have providers who cancel for the season at higher rates than in previous seasons because they simply cannot hire and / or keep their staff,” said Connor. “These positions were already quite temporary. It obviously has a financial impact on each of the small businesses, but then it also seeps into the market where we try to have consistency for our customers.”
Farmers’ market vendors can generally be divided into three groups: fresh food producers, artisans, and processed food manufacturers.
Connor says the staffing issues have hit processed food manufacturers hardest.
The operators of the Hillsboro Farmers’ Market are also affected, as Connor could not find a permanent part-time employee for the information desk.
Shortage of time
At Decadent Creations, Simmons says that some of her hiring difficulties still stem from finding the right candidate for the position.
She says it’s less about finding someone with precise skills. Instead, she said, it’s more about considering factors related to the cost of living. She has to hire a morning baker, but many of her applicants don’t drive and, for example, public transport doesn’t get her to work until after the 4am start time.
Communication style is also an important factor, Simmons said, but she can’t easily tell that from an application. Workers applying for an open cooker must be able to communicate calmly and effectively under pressure when in a hurry, she said.
Simmons is optimistic about finding the right people to fill positions before opening her new grocery store, Collective Market, later this year.
The market, which will offer homemade foods like pasta and sauces as well as products from other local food manufacturers alongside Decadent Creations, was due to open last fall, but delays caused by pandemics have postponed this start date too early in July. When the store opens, it will employ around 15 additional people.
Due to the vacancy, Simmons and the existing staff had to work overtime to complete the bakery duties and prepare for the opening of the new store.
“It wasn’t unmanageable,” said Simmons, adding that she was able to hire two people last week. “At the moment we are kind of time constraint, but we have two weeks left.”
Oregon Public Broadcasting, a news partner of the Pamplin Media Group, contributed to this report.
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