Labor Shortage Threatens Service Industry

Americas Now

During the height of the pandemic with everything in Lockdown/Shutdown, millions of people lost their jobs. Now, as nations are reopening, the restaurant and hospitality industries are struggling to find employees.

Restaurants in Florida are closing one and two days a week because they don’t have enough staff to support staying open for seven days. 

Many restaurants are offering something unheard of before. They’re signing “bonuses” for cooks and chefs.

Along the “Space Coast” in Florida alone, nearly every hotel and restaurant has a “Help Wanted” sign out front. Fast food chains are even offering bonuses as well.

Signs on restaurant doors say, “Please be patient. We are short-staffed.” 

And it’s not just Florida. Las Vegas is holding job fairs to get casino workers because they need so many of them.

What’s behind this scarcity of workers? Correspondent John Zarrella give us a glimpse of the issue in this report.