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About Coast river business journal. (Astoria, OR) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2022)
BUSINESS NEWS 10 • JULY 2022 COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL North Coast businesses struggle to fi ll job vacancies But unemployment remains low OFFERING BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPS Includes: • Museum and Theatre Admission & Guest Passes • Recognition in Museum and Member Communications • Recognition on Social Media Channels and crmm.org To join today visit: crmm.org/joingive or email members@crmm.org PHOTOS BY LYDIA ELY/THE ASTORIAN Customers read the menu at Tsunami Sandwich Co. in Seaside. By ABBEY McDONALD Coast River Business Journal C olumbia R iver M aritime M useum 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, Oregon • crmm.org PORT OF ILWACO Full Service Marina Self-Service Boatyard Waterfront Walkway Retail Shops Restaurants Lodging Fishing Charters www.portofilwaco.com 360-642-3143 T he Shilo Inn in Warrenton has posted hiring ads in nearly ev- ery local Facebook group, has exhausted online hiring site options and has left applications throughout town. “If I go to the gas station and I see someone who’s applying to a job at the gas station, I will tell them that I’m hiring for people, too. I will snag peo- ple off the street,” said Daniel Fruh, the hotel’s general manager. Despite low unemployment rates, many businesses on the North Coast are having diffi culty hiring. With the summer bringing a surge of custom- ers, some understaff ed places are feel- ing the pressure to attract candidates in a competitive hiring market. In lodging, housekeeping positions have been especially tough to fi ll. “They’re kind of the beating heart of the place. If I can’t clean the rooms, I can’t sell the rooms. I can’t make money, right?” Fruh said. The automated ordering system at Tsunami Sandwich Co. in Seaside is a partial answer to staff -recruiting challenges. While he saw little to no applica- tions during the fi rst few years of the coronavirus pandemic, he said that now people are getting to the inter- view stage and then not picking up the phone when they’re given an off er. “Hospitality is hard. It’s not a fun industry to work in sometimes. You have to learn kind of how to deal with it on a day to day,” he said. To deal with the shortage, Fruh has started accepting younger candidates with less experience and has been cross-training existing employees in multiple roles. “It’s not fun, but it’s functional. And it just requires extra steps, extra communication with staff so that they know that they’re being valued and not just left out to dry,” he said. Though the hotel has managed to operate with limited staff , he said the restaurant on the hotel property, Flood Valley Warrenton Taphouse, closed in June due in part to staffi ng issues. Erik Knoder, a regional economist for the Oregon Employment Depart- ment, said the labor market has been tight since before the pandemic began. “People are maybe being a little choosy. They’re trying to wait for the right job that’s not graveyard shifts, a lower pay and that kind of stuff ,” he said. “And then some employers are also like, ‘O h, I actually really want an employee who’s gonna fi t the bill for what I need.’ So getting that last little bit of payroll employment, that’s a tougher thing because the match has to suit both sides. When there aren’t a See Page 11
