Many businesses in Moscow are having difficulty filling open positions. This is a trend that can be seen across the entirety of the country.
At the University of Idaho, 60 random students were asked if they’re working. 38 said that they weren’t.
“I got a full-ride scholarship, so that made the decision easy [not to work],” Samuel Way, a 19-year-old biochemistry major, said.
Having adequate funds and a lack of time seemed to be the main reason why these students aren’t working while pursuing a degree. Many students also said that they worked over the summer but quit their job to focus on school.
Individuals that aren’t currently working are more than just university-aged people. According to the New York Times, research showed approximately two-thirds of individuals that left the labor force during the pandemic were over 55.
Raymond Bobier, manager at Red Bento, has seen the restaurant face difficulties due to the pandemic.
“At the moment we’re doing just fine, but it was hard during the worst of COVID…we’re still at half capacity,” Bobier said. “But we’re taking measures to make sure we can handle the business that is coming in.”
Red Bento is currently looking to hire two servers at $10 per hour plus tips. This amount is well over Idaho’s $3.35/hour minimum wage for tipped employees. Bobier said that the restaurant hasn’t had difficulty in hiring and keeping workers.
“A lot of our servers feel like they’re getting a fair wage,” he said. “It’s important to be smart about how you re-open.”
Chartwells is the new food vendor running UI’s dining program under the name Idaho Eats. Chartwells has been unable to open all of their dining options such as Chick-fil-A because of staff shortage. Kim Howe, the director of marketing and guest experience, said they offered all employees who were working for the previous dining company a position with them.
“This process is typical in all Chartwells account transitions,” Howe said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in October 2021 COVID-19 has prevented 7.9% of people who wish to work from looking for work. This percentage has been in a downward trajectory since polling started in May 2020 when it was at 52.6%. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said in an economic news release that as of Sept. 30, there are 10.4 million job openings nationwide. The news release states that in September 4.4 million people quit their job and 1.4 million individuals were either laid off or discharged.
Donald Scott Hammar can be reached at [email protected]