Local business owner watches unemployment rates rise while struggling to fill open positions

Albany, NY (NEWS10) – While there has been a lot of discussion lately surrounding high unemployment rates and the inability to find work, one local business owner said she’s been open for business with the means to hire help, but no one is applying.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, as of July, Massachusetts had the highest unemployment rate of all fifty states at 16.1%, followed closely by New York at 15.9%. More specifically, the Tri-City area of Albany, Schenectady and Troy is 10.5%.

However, some local business owners such as Brenda Hastings, owner of Capital Area Janitorial, are growing increasingly frustrated with those statistics as they struggle to find help. “It seems like everyday we hear something on the news somewhere about the unemployment crisis. Drive across any town and you’re going to see help wanted signs everywhere. There’s jobs, it might not be exactly what people are looking for, but there’s jobs available,” said Hastings. 

Hastings said she’s constantly posting job openings online, but she’s finding that there are not many people chomping at the bit. “Every time I go online I’m disappointed. I used to have fifty people applying for a position and I could never get through all of the applications, now I’m lucky if I get two. I just cannot find anybody that wants to work,” said Hastings. She said she knows she’s not alone. “Ya know, just waiting in long lines at the grocery store and you ask what’s going on and they say, ‘well we’re short staffed’,” said Hastings. 

She said within the last few months her company went from an average staff of twenty employees, down to about six or seven. “We actually had a few people who said that they had full-time day jobs and they got furloughed and they would make more on unemployment so they quit us,” said Hastings.

Hastings told News10 the shortage is now leaving her with no choice but to turn down work.

“It’s so disappointing, it’s very frustrating and it’s painful to have to turn down jobs because we can’t find staff. If we have to turn down jobs, if we can’t meet the demand that our customers are expecting and we lose accounts, absolutely we’re going to have to shut the doors. I mean it’s not at that point yet, but who knows what the future holds if the trend continues,” said Hastings. 

She said with the economy taking a hit from the pandemic, the best way to bounce back is for everyone to get back out in one way or another, not just shopping local, but working local too. “Ya know, help the businesses out before we do have a problem with too many empty buildings everywhere because businesses had to leave,” said Hastings.

She said while some people did leave because they were nervous about cleaning during the pandemic, they are actually very well protected. “We’re taking all of the necessary precautions just as everyone else is. We have all the proper PPE in place, you’re pretty much working by yourself, there’s really nobody in the building so there’s no exposure,” said Hastings.