Jacksonville restaurant owners blame unemployment benefits for hiring woes
‘We’re not even getting anybody applying,’ one restaurant owner tells News4Jax
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JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – While Florida is open for business and restaurants are at full capacity, owners seem to have one common complaint: they can’t hire enough staff.
Several restaurant owners have told News4Jax they believe that state and federal unemployment payments are so good that hourly workers don’t want to take gigs in the service industry.
It’s causing some restaurants to limit their hours or close early. But that could change on Saturday when Florida once again requires unemployed people to prove they’re trying to find work.
A year ago, Jacksonville s restaurant owners faced a challenge: how to adapt and survive amid a mandatory shutdown of dining rooms due to the coronavirus pandemic.
To keep the lights on and serve their customers and keep as many of their employees on the job as possible they did just that. They added drive-thrus, pivoted to takeout only, added curbside pickup and launched in-house delivery services. Some even added food trucks.
Others, however, were forced to turn off the lights altogether either temporarily or, in some cases, forever.
Now, with vaccine centers up and running, mask mandates discontinued and social distancing a distant memory, people are returning to Jacksonville restaurants in close to pre-pandemic numbers.
No one can find anyone : Business owners say labor pool is shrinking, waiting for new applicants
Businesses like The Bearded Pig say they are hoping to fill open positions, but some job ads haven’t gained any responses. Author: Troy Kless (First Coast News) Published: 6:53 PM EDT April 1, 2021 Updated: 6:06 AM EDT April 2, 2021
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Restaurants are hiring but are struggling to find workers.
One local restaurant owner says he and many others are looking for people to fill open spots.
National job search company Indeed reports job postings are back to pre-pandemic levels, but one restauranteur is actively seeking new hires.
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