Local businesses struggle to find workers

A paper sign fluttering in the breeze on a drive-thru menu board at a Wichita Falls fast food restaurant has a hint of desperation in its message:

“We need crew member to keep running this store. We are very low staff, so be patients with the crew we do have left.”

A shortage of help is not unique to this restaurant. Businesses across the nation are struggling to find workers, especially in the restaurant and service industries that pay the low end of the wage scale.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the restaurant industry was short 1.2 million workers this March compared to March 2020 when COVID-19 was having its maximum impact on business closings.

Wichita Falls is feeling the pain.

It’s a pain that Vanda Culler with the Small Business Development Center at MSU knows all too well.

“They are desperate for employees. For some workers it makes more financial sense to stay at home. Others are worried about childcare and there are still concerns about COVID-19,” Cullar said.

But she said now is the perfect time to find a job.

“Those who see the bigger picture know to step out right now and get the job of their choice,” Cullar said. “Right now it’s open – go apply!”

Her center will host a webinar May 18 to help employers find and recruit workers.

“It will focus on getting creative in order to entice applicants to apply,” Cullar said.

Some local restaurateurs have already gotten creative.

One business operator posted a notice on social media that the restaurant would pay $500 in cash bonuses after three months of employment. The same employer hands out $20 random bonuses to show appreciation to workers who stay.

“Kudos to those figuring out incentives,” Cullar said.

Scott Plowman, president of the North Texas Restaurant Association, says he's hearing the same thing from members. 

"It’s nationwide, statewide, Wichita Falls-wide," he said. "Some people think they can make more money sitting home because of the government. They bank as much as the restaurants pay." 

Plowman, who operates  the two Parkway Grills and Pelican's, said in the "old days" he would get 200 applications for an opening. Now he and others have trouble finding workers. He hopes the situation will improve by the end of the summer.

The restaurant and service industries are not alone in feeling the pinch of worker shortages. Henry Florsheim, president of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce has said other local businesses, including manufacturing, are wrestling with the problem.

The SBDC at MSU is part of a nationwide network that provides no-cost business consulting to new and existing businesses. The title of the SBDC upcoming May 18 webinar is “We Have Jobs – Where are the applicants?”

Business operators who want to participate can sign up free of charge at msusbdc.org.