County Commissioners Say Don’t Wait To Go Back To Work
Businesses all across the state are having a hard time finding employees. County Commissioners say residents need to get back to work before all the good job opportunities are gone.
Commissioner Scottie Powell said that it’s a real problem in the healthcare industry and it’s time for people to reenter the job market. “I know some people have been staying home because of the unemployment benefit. That’s ending.” He said everyone is hiring now, but if people wait too long and wait for the unemployment to end, you risk missing out. “There’s some excellent opportunities out there right now. Get back in the job force.”
Overworked and Understaffed
Powell said he’d never seen a situation where businesses were forced to alter hours to due to a labor shortage before. “Hopefully, people are getting to a sense of being comfortable with going back into the workforce.”
Commissioner Cathy Coleman noted she’s seen many offers of hiring bonuses. “That tells us how desperately they need the workforce. But if you wait, there may not be a job to come back to. The opportunity for a job may be gone just when you need it most. Seek a job. That’s the great American way.”
Powell reminded customers to be considerate of understaffed businesses. “I know people who have worked 30 days straight of non-stop overtime just to keep the doors open. Try to be mindful of that.”
Record Low Unemployment
Commissioner Bryan Davis Davis said Scioto County was at a 5.5% unemployment rate. “We are probably looking at another record unemployment low for April. A lot of businesses are adding people. Incomes are going up. Our employers are hiring.”
He called restaurant owners and employees ‘heroes’ for keeping their businesses running during the pandemic with “a 20-ton government elephant on their back the whole time.” Davis continued, “They survived that but now they can’t get people to work.”
Davis said the rollback of pandemic unemployment benefits probably should have started sooner. “Ohio was slow to the draw on this thing. But it is having. People need to get up and work. Don’t wait.”
Commissioner Davis said both unskilled and skilled labor is in high demand in the county. He encouraged people to consider pursuing certificates and entering skilled trades. “Scioto County has already weathered times like these. It’s time to rise to the occasion. There are hundreds of job openings right now. It’s time for people to get back to work.”