Hiring still a problem across most industries

Despite inventive ways to lure new job candidates, owners and managers in many industries have been striking out for months on filling open spots.

There was 20 openings in late May at Charley Family Shop ‘n Save stores in Murrysville, Hempfield and Greensburg. Co-owner Tom Charley said the grocer started an employee referral program to cull potential candidates from the existing workforce.

The hiring problem is plaguing businesses across all sectors.

“We’re seeing the same thing,” he said. “It’s a strain on the organization. It really is a challenge.”

Help wanted signs have been out around the region for months as businesses emerge from restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. Some have come up with creative ways to lure potential job seekers, such as offering hiring bonuses and upping wages, while others have had to close their doors when they are short-staffed.

Those restrictions lifted for the most part, but many businesses continue to have trouble, some attributing it to the expanded jobless benefits still on the table. About 6,000 people made continued unemployment claims in Westmoreland County for the week ending May 22, according to state statistics. Most of those people had been working in construction and manufacturing.

The county’s unemployment rate in June was 6.8%, slightly lower than the state’s 7.4%. There were 3,550 job postings online in the county, according to Department of Labor & Industry statistics.

The Greensburg YMCA has raised wages in an effort to attract workers as it experiences difficulties in hiring. Most of the facility’s services reopened in mid-June after being closed since September because of virus-related restrictions and a drop in usage.

Charley said the Shop ‘n Save stores are spending more money on advertising their open slots, but with less success. There are typically about 200 people employed at the three stores combined.

Paul Bish, owner of Bish Tool & Die in Jeannette, has been trying to fill two open spots for months after a couple of employees retired.

“It has been difficult. People either don’t apply or they want wages way past their qualifications,” he said.

He currently employs 10. Not being able to find those additional two workers has been frustrating. Plus, hiring issues have been affecting his suppliers and customers, which can mean delays in getting items needed from steel mills, he said.