Raleigh retailers unable to fill new jobs post-pandemic
As more people start returning to normal activities — eating out and going shopping — businesses are looking to fill new jobs.
On Wednesday evening, The Village District hosted a job fair, hoping to help businesses with staffing shortages from the coronavirus pandemic. There are about 20 businesses in The District Village looking to fill positions immediately.
Economy experts say the pandemic could change retail work permanently. Retail was the one of the largest sectors of the economy employing workers before coronavirus, according to the National Retail Federation.
As people have adjusted to online shopping, many experts say there is expected to be a permanent decline in retail workers for the years to come.
CNBC reports that before the pandemic, 15.7 million people were working at retail stores in February. A month later, that number dropped to about 2.4 million people. Retailers are slowly gaining back some workers compared to the service industry, federal data from April shows.
Onward Reserve, a men's clothing store in The Village District, opened up mid-pandemic. Rachel Ferraguto, the owner of the shop, said it hasn't been easy.
Ferraguto said she's expecting her first baby in September and she's looking to hire someone who can take over for her. But, she’s finding potential candidates are still hesitant.
“Not quite sure if they’re not ready to come back to work yet,” Ferraguto said.
Childcare options for some parents still remain closed or virtual, meaning one parent will need to stay home. Some families aren't ready to send their kids to childcare due to safety concerns. Not all children are able to get vaccinated, which means many families will have to weigh their risk of exposure when returning to the workforce.
Lack of childcare or schooling has a disproportional impact on women — who are more likely to be expected to stay home with children. Women also make up the majority of the retail industry, the U.S. Census reports.
People are definitely ready to get back to shopping, said Pat Boyle with the Village District Merchants Association. Federal data shows that retail sales are increasing — sales were up by 27% for February through March.
“The whole world is having a hard time finding enough staffing to service the needs, so, this is just a little microcosm of a big problem," Boyle said. "We’re helping and we’re trying to do our best to get people out here and fill the spots that are available at The Village."
The job fair held on Wednesday is a way to attract a pool of candidates for businesses.
“I don’t know if the community is aware that we need help so this is just a way for all of us to be communicating together,” Ferraguto said.
