When the federal government sent out stimulus payments and expanded unemployment benefits amid the worst of the COVID-19 shutdown last year, the payments helped millions of suddenly underemployed Americans pay their bills and stay in their homes. While most economists agree that the extra income for consumers saved an economy in danger of major contractions, many local businesses seem to still be feeling the pandemic’s effects.
“You can hardly get anybody to work,” said David Lewis of the Glass Shoppe in Franklin at Macon County’s April Job Fair on April 23. “I’m running an ad in the Franklin newspaper, Clayton, Sylva, Bryson City, and on Indeed, and we’ve had one person that wanted to work. I don’t know whether it’s the unemployment benefits, but it doesn’t seem like anybody wants to work. It’s hard to figure out. … I’ve been here in Franklin for 23 years, and I’ve never had this kind of problem.”
Hosted by NCWorks and the Macon County Economic Development Commission, the job fair brought 17 employers from around the county to the Robert C. Carpenter Building for a chance to speak with local jobseekers. With lingering concerns from the pandemic seeming to make people cautious about returning to work, local employers now find themselves in a jobseeker’s market.
“I think some of it is uncertainty with the school system and their kids, having to make sure there’s coverage for the kid,” said Lacy Carpenter, human resources coordinator for the Macon Program for Progress. “I think some of it was concern with the virus, which I think is starting to dissipate, and people are becoming more comfortable about going out and things like that, but in general, I’m not sure.”
Between concerns related to childcare and lingering fears of the virus itself, Carpenter said Macon Program for Progress has seen far less job seeking interest than in normal years. For the restaurant and hospitality industry, one of the hardest-hit industries during the shutdowns, local businesses have seen a similar scarcity.
“I really think that so many people in the restaurant industry got laid off when the pandemic happened, and then so many restaurants closed down, that lack of stability has kind of scared people off from the industry altogether,” said Kelly Vogelheim, executive chef of Oak Steakhouse in the new Skyline Lodge resort in Highlands. “I’m a chef, I work in the kitchen, and I was terrified that I wasn’t going to have a job.”
In addition to workers seeking more stability and changing careers after the shutdowns, the pandemic also seems to have created other roadblocks for employers. Some representatives at Friday’s fair felt that expanded unemployment benefits disincentivize people from seeking work.
“Trying to find help has not been [easy],” said one representative who asked not to be named. “There’s work to be had, but nobody’s wanting to work because it pays more to stay home. … Why would they want to come to work when they can get more making unemployment?”
“There are several who are still collecting unemployment, and as the benefits increase with unemployment, that gives them more incentive to collect it,” said Carpenter. “It’s difficult to compete with that when they’re drawing in unemployment and getting to stay home with their family, especially if they’ve been in the workforce for several years and haven’t had the opportunity.”
Between extended time off giving people new perspectives on their work-life balance, unemployment benefits allowing people to stay home more, and general concern over the virus itself, a multitude of factors seem to have combined to create a scarcity of jobseekers in Macon County. Many attendees at the job fair said they were either students or currently employed, and were simply attending to see if they could find a better opportunity. One jobseeker said the pandemic has made it hard for her to balance childcare and finding employment.
“I lost my job during the pandemic, and I have disabled children that cannot go to school, so they have to stay home during coronavirus,” said Macon County resident Christine Zuckerman. “That has kind of made it hard for me because I’m looking for a flexible schedule.”
As local school systems continue online learning options for students, some parents re-entering the workforce have a challenge splitting their time between childcare and earning a living. For others however, the wealth of local openings represents an opportunity to improve their situation.
Local resident Dorie Leland said she’s been seeking employment since November. “I’m not going to drive to Georgia for $10 an hour, and I’m not working for $7.25 an hour. … I’ve got a job interview at one o’clock down the road here, but I just came here with a resume.”