Why is it so hard to find employees when so many are jobless?

1. 93

   peeplesposted 11 years ago

   Why is it so hard to find employees when so many are jobless?
   
   Is it my fault or something else? I've been trying to find employees for a part time position. The job averages $15 an hour and 20 hrs a week. Yet very few people respond back to the add. I have had two people quit the position in a month that were barely doing the job to begin with. I'm frustrated because it's not a hard job. Why is it so hard to get good employees when so many people need jobs?

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2. 81

   Alphadogg16posted 11 years ago

   My guess would be that most people are looking for full time work and do not want to settle for part time. The ones that did respond or accept probably continued their full time search & quit when they found one. What does the job consist of doing?

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   1. 93

      peeplesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Taking pictures of homes. Simple easy work. Much easier than finding someone to do it! Thanks for the answer, that's a good possibility.

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      Alphadogg16posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Where at? I have a lot of interns/college kids that are always wanting to work

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   3. 93

      peeplesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      South Carolina

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3. 86

   billybucposted 11 years ago

   That is an interesting question and one I've asked myself on several occasions.
   
   Taking pictures? I'd do that in a heartbeat.  Sign me up!
   
   Seriously, I don't have an answer. I do think the number of people willing to work two or more part-time jobs is limited.  Full time jobs are disappearing and it's hard to juggle the schedule of two or more part-time jobs.

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      peeplesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I guess I really didn't think of how hard it would be juggling 2 part time jobs. Thanks!

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4. 60

   Writer Davidposted 11 years ago

   While $15 an hour is a good salary, 20 hours a week just isn't going to cut it with some people.  As stated by Alphadogg16, people are looking for fulltime work. I am puzzled that you are having a hard time with so many American teens unemployed and able to work after school.  That is strange.

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   1. 93

      peeplesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The job requires 18 and older only. I've tried advertising to college age and have had only minimal luck. Thanks

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5. 61

   MickSposted 11 years ago

   Perhaps because of structural unemployment.  We can have, say, 10 vacancies in an area, and , say, 20 unemployed people, but none of those people are qualified for those jobs.  There can be lots of other reasons, people whose trade is fine work with their hands, would be foolish to take employment that would threaten their eventually working back in their trade through, say, injury.

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6. 71

   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   Now I'm interested. What was the job and the responsibilities? Most people I know are searching for jobs or stay with their job unhappily because they do not wish to search for a new job because of the bad market. Also, is the job desirable? How is it described? Where are the posts being put? Quit in a month... Did they find a better position else where? What were their reasons? Normally it means there is something wrong with the job.

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   1. 93

      peeplesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Neither who quit did the job well. Didn't follow rules. The job is just driving to foreclosed properties and taking pictures of them. I post jobs to craigslist mostly. It's a foreclosed property inspector. No experience even required.

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   2. 71

      lburmasterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I actually know someone with a similar position. However, that sounds like a fantastic job. Try posting on different websites. Who looks at jobs on craigslist? College students and individuals who have a difficult time keeping with jobs.

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      HowIConqueredposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      To Peeples: Maybe that's the problem. You need to require them to have some experience so they will be more likely to take the job seriously. You have these people taking photo's of property, require them to have an interest/experience in photography

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7. 0

   ahorsebackposted 11 years ago

   Not many will like this but , todays workers are far less motivated to do the actual  work !   Everyone expects benifits , they are never on time , always have an excuse to leave or want to start at the top of the company !  Hire an older person Peeps ! Old school ! ......:-} good luck !

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      peeplesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Funny you said that. My best employee is 63. He works for me and has a full time job. Always does great.

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8. 67

   RBJ33posted 11 years ago

   Go with what ahorseback said - find people that may be retired and looking for a little extra cash - there has to be a connection to those type people in your town - if I lived nearby I'd jump all over your job.
   
   Keep trying

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9. 0

   Larry Wallposted 11 years ago

   I am almost 62; I lost my last job of 22 years at 59 and 1/2. Some jobs are not suited for me. I do not want to be an insurance salesman making cold calls. I cannot work in the freight area of Home Depot or lows or operate a fork lift.
   
   I have extensive computer knowledge, but no credentials, because when I was learning there were few credentials to be had.
   
   I took a part-time job in a retail store paying $6 an hour and a small commission. However, the hours were never consistent. You could work to 10 p.m. one night and then be expected to be in at 8 a.m. the next morning with no set day off during the weeks for trying to plan doctor appointments and the like.
   
   Finally, us old people, who cannot buy decent insurance, are looking for full-time work with health benefits. Granted, older people use more of the benefit than the young, but we show up at work on time, know how to treat people professionally and usually have some skills that can be put to use. I use to make six figures--I did not make that at the retail store and did not expect it. I left because the one thing I do expect is respect. I got it from my fellow employees and the customers, but not from a new department head. I was also originally told that the job could become full time but was later told that no additional full time slots would be created or existing slots filled if they became vacant. You hire all part-time people and your benefit costs go way down. You have a less-experienced  workforce and less loyal employees, but you are saving money that could be saved in other ways.

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10. 58

    Insane Mundaneposted 11 years ago

    Other than the fact that a lot of the young people today shy from most types of labor, I've known some people that refuse to get a job because they are enjoying their extended unemployment benefits and food stamps, all too freakin' well!
    Throw in the sponge factor and the ones that think they are entitled to free stuff and/or that everybody owes them, and we have a lot less tax payers in this country.  Praise be the working fools; ha!  Plus, we now have a lot more younger people trying to get on disability, as well, for a multitude of asinine reasons - ya know, the ones that are not actually disabled, etc.
    Now, if you can find a job that involves texting all day long and playing video games in between Facebook updates while jamming to an IPod, these folks might show up in herds...

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    1. 0

       HowIConqueredposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Blaming the situations on the fact that there are lazy people in the world is not a solution. I would be questioning why the OP has a hard time attracting the many good reliable workers that would jump through hoops for a job.

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    2. 58

       Insane Mundaneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Nobody said it was a solution, but the problems are obvious.  Something tells me you haven't got a clue...

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11. 52

    CrazyHatFireDrillposted 11 years ago

    Maybe you could aim at some stay at home moms and let them know that they can have little ones with them as long as they take responsibility for them.  Could be a good way for extra income without having to pay a sitter!

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12. 0

    HowIConqueredposted 11 years ago

    My advice is to stop worrying about why you can't find or keep the right employees and ask yourself, "What am I doing wrong"? Try starting with your job ad. Do a survey on the quality of your job ad. Find out what job seekers like and don't like about it. There are many poorly written, confusing and down right insulting job ads floating around. Next, think about where you are positing your job ad. Is it reaching your target audience? Is it reaching enough people in general? Then you need to consider your hiring process. Are you asking too little of your candidates with the result of selecting the wrong people or asking too much of them with a result of driving away the good ones? Then look at the pay and hours you're offering. You may think the benefits are awesome, but you need to put yourself in the shoes of others. Again, conduct a survey. Lastly you need to take a look at the environment your employees work it. Why are you not able to retain employees? Do you have bad employee's on staff that are running people away? Or is it you?
    
    I'm biased because I'm a job seeker (currently part-time employed and a freelancer). It irks me when employers blame the quality of job seekers that are available as a reason they can't find the perfect employee. I think the problem is with the approach the employers take when looking for people to interview. I hope you found my answer useful, I didn't mean for it to come off as me blaming you for your misfortune in this area. But I hope that you've looked at all aspects so you can find a solution. Good luck!

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13. 61

    djashburnalposted 11 years ago

    In my opinion, part of the problem may be the medium you use for advertising the position.
    Years ago, there was one place to put an ad, newspapers. Now you have that, plus job websites like monster.com, then you also have websites like craigslist and backpage, and you also have strictly classified publications. You may have to expand your ad campaign to get people to look into it. Someone mentioned it's good pay but only part time but if i were unemployed, 300 a week before taxes is better than nothing.

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14. 76

    lilmissmontanaposted 11 years ago

    I am young, but I agree with most people. Young people expect things to be handed to them, and they want benefits, weekends off and to make their own schedule. It's terrible what kind of work ethic my generation has. I am proud to say, that since I quit my job to be home with my daughter full time, I have had three places offer me a job, because I do have a good work ethic.
    
    Since I was young I was responsible for paying for my cell phone bill, paying for excess clothes that weren't necessarily needed, but more of a want and forking over the bill for dates and trips to the movies. At the time, I hated my parents, and now I am thankful that they taught me what hard work is and how to be independent. I wish there were more parents like mine, that didn't hand their child material items just to be left alone. There are jobs out there and young people set too high of a standard. They don't want to be the low guy on the totem pole. They want to instantly be the manager. It's rather sad.

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15. 61

    webscriptsposted 11 years ago

    Many may view it as a job than a career. It is very hard to come across jobs that offer everything people feel they deserve to sustain a living - esp if they have a family. Approx $300 a week before taxes? Is it a set schedule? If it is not, that could be a problem. Quality workers most likely have something else going on - kids, school etc. that they have to schedule around. If someone needs to have open availability, you may find a few good ones, but they will still be looking for the next best thing in the meantime. I also agree with paying attention to where you are posting. Targeting stay-at-home parents (as mentioned) or students should be a good way to market if they possess the required skills. Sometimes it pays off (no pun intended) to pay for postings on quality sites also. The ad should be enticing and also give enough background on the company and not sound scammy. Without knowing more details, it's hard to say the exact reason. be sure you are viewing it from someone else's perspective though.  Would you take your own job? In what situation? What expenses might your ideal employee have? If it requires a degree, they probably have loans to pay off too...

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16. 77

    Beata Stasakposted 11 years ago

    There is always this huge gap between skilled and unskilled workers, usually there are jobs always available only in the seek after highly specific professions that few can do because of the specific skills and high education required....universal jobs that nearly everyone can do is always hard to find...you want to choose the job, not job to choose you, acquire the specific skill that few can do...

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