AURORA | Customer service could be a rare commodity this Black Friday as many businesses have struggled to fill seasonal jobs amid a surging economy and plummeting unemployment rate, according to statistics released by Arapahoe/Douglas Works! Work Force Center.
An analysis performed by Patrick Howell, an economist for Arapahoe/Douglas Works, determined that retail stores currently looking to add positions in metro Denver must list a job eight times to make one hire.
“The market is over-saturated with jobs and there’s not enough people to fill those jobs,” said Joe Barela, regional workforce director for Arapahoe/Douglas Works.
Barela pointed to what he described as a full-employment market — one with a jobless rate under 5 percent — as the driving factor behind employers’ current hiring difficulties. Unemployment in Colorado clocked in at a six-year low last month with a rate of 4.3 percent statewide, a full percentage point below the national mark of 5.8 percent according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s in stark contrast to the same time four years ago, when the Colorado jobless rate was at its highest rate in over a decade at 9.1 percent and seasonal jobs were a welcome stopgap to the 246,000 Coloradans without work.
“Every restaurant and retail store has a help wanted sign in the window, and that’s very, very different than last year or two years ago,” Barela said.
Retailers and those in the service industry are among those having the hardest time filling positions despite composing a major chunk of jobs in the region, according to Barela.
“The service industry is the largest jobs creator in the Denver metro area, but it’s getting more and more difficult to fill those positions as we get into that full employment market,” he said.
Tim Gonerka, retail specialist for the City of Aurora, said that the current construction boom across the metro region could be one of the biggest culprits behind the hiring woes of retailers in
particular.
“Retail may be suffering due to the fact that the construction industry is so strong right now,” he said. “The jobs are a little better paying than retail jobs, and that’s taking some of that potential market.”
Construction and manufacturing had the largest over the month private sector jobs gain between September and October of this year, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and
Employment.
Gonerka added that many job seekers might still be jaded from the abysmal job market of the past few years, discouraging them from pursuing employment.
“The employment market is still a little shell shocked,” he said. “It’s going to take time for people to realize that jobs are out there.”
Despite difficulties in luring workers to submit applications, retailers will undoubtedly be in need of extra help, with an estimated increase of approximately 4 percent in retail sales this holiday season.
“The market has been pretty strong in Aurora this year, and that’s encouraging,” Gonerka said. “The city has been running right at or just ahead of statewide sales figures.”
Big box retailers, such as Walmart and Target, typically offer the highest number of seasonal jobs in preparation for the higher volume of both shoppers and sales in November and December. According to Barela, these companies, in addition to others, provide a solid gateway to full-time employment following the rush.
“Service, big box retail and logistics and transportation like UPS and FedEx all hire seasonal,” he said. “And if you perform well you can expect decent wages and a pretty good chance of getting hired on full time after the holiday rush.”
Barela said recently the demographics of people taking these jobs has varied greatly, though students, recent graduates, and retirees looking to combat unforeseen expenses make up the largest percentage. And contrary to the shotgun approach to employment often recommended in recent years, Barela encouraged those in the job market to be discriminatory and selective when submitting applications to employers in an increasingly favorable market for employees.
“The strategy I think a lot of people looking for work need to look at — whether they’re unemployed, never worked before or long-term unemployed — is they need to do an inventory of what they offer to an employer and market that to an employer in a resume or an interview,” he said. “They need to look at what their worth is in the labor market, be strategic about what jobs are available and out there, what jobs they’re looking at, and be strategic about accepting a possible offer.”
For a full listing of seasonal hiring events and job placement resources in the Aurora area, visit adworks.org.
Job Openings!
Lousy pay. No benefits. Erratic scheduling. Part time.
Exactly. They would easily fill them if they upped the wage.
Drug tests. You could shoot heroin, snort cocaine, smoke crystal meth and drink a quart of vodka on Friday night and test negative on Monday. But OMG, if you smoke some pot 31 metabolites stay in your system for a month.
Corporations usually have to follow drug free workplace programs that can save them money on their share of healthcare costs. In order to qualify you have to meet national standards. MJ will still not be allowed in workplaces until it is legal. I think if its a choice between smoking MJ or getting a job common sense should prevail.