HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — There were 236,000 jobs added across the U.S. in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and in Hampton Roads, there are thousands of openings.
“If you’re interested in getting into the workforce or even want to learn a new skill set this is the time to do it," said Shawn Avery, President & CEO of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council.
He said right now there are 27,000 eligible people to work, and 26,0000 job openings in Hampton Roads. He explained why some businesses are still having trouble filling positions.
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“It’s really a skill set disconnect, individual A and job A you may think they go directly together but they may not have the skill set that that job needs,” said Avery.
The Hampton Roads Workforce Council partners with Hampton Roads Alliance. The council recruits the workers; the alliance recruits the companies.
“If you want to grow the economy and you have low unemployment, you have to find the people who aren’t necessarily looking for a job that are here or recruit people that aren’t here to come into the region,” said Doug Smith with Hampton Roads Alliance.
Taryn Jones with Grunow's Kitchen in Yorktown said that's the issue she's having right now - finding people to work.
“I could probably use four to five more cooks in the back,” said Jones.
She said she's trying to expand the restaurant, but it's nearly impossible without the staff. Jones currently has six employees; she wants ten.
“I want to be able to split the shifts up and say hey you’re working from this time to this time, hey you get a Saturday off, and unfortunately we just can’t do that,” said Jones.
Avery said the solution is getting employers like Jones connected to potential employees.
“You’re not in this alone, there’s organizations such as mine and the Hampton Roads Alliance that are here to help you,” said Avery.
For more resources for available jobs, click here.
