TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Shops and restaurants in Tampa Bay are struggling to find the staff they need to handle the holiday rush.
Hiring and help wanted signs are popping up across the Tampa Bay area, which is being affected by the current labor shortage.
Breanna Carter, a manager at Uptown Cheapskate says sales are picking up but employees aren’t easy to find.
“As applications come in I’m doing interviews, the phone interviews and everything,” she said. “We’re trying to get people in as best we can. Right now, we’re still looking for a couple of people to add to the team.”
“We have signs throughout the store that are saying we’re hiring,” Carter added. “We’re trying to get people in as much as possible. We even offer a full-time signing bonus of $200 in store credit.”
There are currently 1.3 million job openings in the retail industry, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The National Retail Federation predicts holiday sales will grow between 8.5% to 10.5% over 2020.
Businesses are also struggling to deal with the supply chain shortage. Around 48% of business owners say it will have a significant impact on their sales, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.
