WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s January and the crowds are back at South Florida restaurants, but not the workers.
“We are definitely looking for a lot of people in all different departments,” said Rocco Mangel, owner of the Rocco’s Tacos restaurants.
“I find that people aren’t that eager to say I want to be a waitress, I want to be a bartender or I want to be a manager,” he said.
Many believe the workers who left during the Covid pandemic were not eager to return to service work.
Unemployment is back to pre-pandemic levels, at about 2.6% in Palm Beach County.
Labor officials say in Florida there continues to be more job listings people looking for a job.
“I think they’re pushing for higher wages, higher quality work and they’re finding themselves with so many choices,” said John Ries, owner of Hot Pie Pizza, who has four openings at his West Palm Beach location and six in Royal Palm Beach.
“There is a worker shortage not because of a bad economy, the economy is so good,” Ries said, referring to a brisk business this winter.
“The average worker has many choices.”
