HELP UNWANTED! Las Vegas businesses report few candidates want available jobs

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – The economy is starting to turn nationally as well as locally, but some Las Vegas businesses report having difficulty finding willing and skilled workers for available positions.

Around the Las Vegas Valley, there are job fairs almost every day in places like hotels and casinos.

But other companies are struggling to hire employees.

“We are a pre- and postnatal fitness company. We offer fitness programs for mothers at every stage of motherhood, ”explains Jessica Peralta, owner of Fit4Mom Las Vegas.

Peralta reports that their vacancies, from coaches to auxiliaries, don’t attract many candidates.

“Before the shutdown, we had 27 employees,” said Peralta.

“We’re a small company and we actually have nine employees right now, so we want to go back to the full team of 27,” added Peralta.

Temporary employment agencies and recruiters say finding willing and qualified applicants has been a difficult task lately.

RELATED: List of Upcoming Las Vegas Job Fairs | 2021

“I’ve been in the hiring and recruiting sector for over 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Sonia Petkewich, owner of the Taurean Consulting Group.

Petkewich says that even good, high-paying jobs get fewer bites.

“The number of applicants they get is two or three, while a year ago there were 20 people waiting for these positions,” explains Petkewich.

Petkewich believes several factors play a role.

She says switching to work from home has made personal work less appetizing for some people.

There are also expanded federal unemployment benefits that provide money through September 2021.

Petkewich says many companies tighten their belts on compensation and often pay less for the same job after the pandemic.

“I think some companies are cutting capacity from a compensation perspective so candidates may now feel that the salary on offer is competitive and willing to hold out a little,” added Petkewich.

“I feel like it’s a little puzzle with a lot of moving parts and we’re just working on taking it one step at a time and hiring staff, that’s badly needed,” said Peralta.

Peralta said women, especially mothers, made big changes during the pandemic to juggle distance learning for school age children and childcare, and this may have an impact on the available candidates as well.

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE | Joe Bartels continues discussing the topic for the Daily Debriefing:

Daily debriefing: employers have a hard time filling vacancies | April 22, 2021