SWFL companies struggle to fill open jobs – even off season

Sept. 14--Help wanted!

It's the cry coming from employers struggling to fill jobs in Southwest Florida.

With unemployment rates so low in the region, many businesses -- from restaurants to hospitals -- are facing a shortage of year-round workers and some fear they won't get enough seasonal workers to meet demands for the busier months ahead.

Businesses are getting more aggressive about hiring, holding job fairs for the first time, raising pay and offering additional incentives, including referral and sign on bonuses.

The worker squeeze has been worsened by the fact that summer isn't as slow as it once was in Southwest Florida. The year-round population has grown -- and so has the number of tourists visiting the area in what has traditionally been known as the slow season, or offseason, from May to October.

Naples and Fort Myers are among the fastest growing metros in the country and have been recognized as job growth leaders by the likes of Forbes Magazine.

"Several employers didn't really have a break this summer. They were really active all summer long. We are starting to see that this area is a destination all year round now," said Beth Barger, the Naples center supervisor for CareerSource Southwest Florida.

In August, more than 11,580 listings were posted online for jobs in Lee and Collier counties, according to data compiled by The Conference Board.

Early start

Some employers started their seasonal hiring early, trying to get a jump on the competition.

CareerSource Southwest Florida, funded by state and federal dollars, matches job seekers with employers. During the past few months, it has hosted a flurry of job fairs at its centers in Naples and Fort Myers for area businesses, from roofers to optometrists to restaurants.

"For the longest time it was the employers' job market. Now it has shifted back to the job seekers' market. We've just got to get the word back out there that there are plenty of employers, there are plenty of opportunities," Barger said.

Among the most sought-after employees are chefs, servers and bartenders, following a national trend of worker shortages in the restaurant industry. Over the past few years, a slew of new restaurants have opened in Southwest Florida, making a bad situation worse. "Everybody is looking at the same pool of folks," Barger said.

Last month, Naples-based Culinary Concepts held a job fair to help it find the 140 employees it needs for its five restaurants: Pazzo! Cucina Italiana in Naples, Chops City Grill in Naples and Bonita Springs, Yabba Island Grill in Naples, and Blue Water Bistro in Estero. The search goes on.

In Bonita Springs, DeRomo's Gourmet Market and Restaurant and The Center Bar in The Promenade at Bonita Bay, hosted job fairs Sept. 9-10 to help them find 50 full-time and part-time workers.

Robert Krzak, CEO of Gecko Hospitality, a national recruiting firm specializing in hospitality, restaurant, hotel, resort and club management jobs, said his company is incredibly busy. With so many eateries opening locally, including a dizzying number at the Gulf Coast Town Center, the company is working with clients to fill 50 to 75 full-time management positions in Lee County alone.

"Times have certainly changed. Now it's more than just placing ads. It's becoming engaged on social media with those candidates that are searching for a new position," Krzak said.

Not alone

Restaurants are far from alone in their desperate search for workers. With construction booming again in Southwest Florida, labor is tight. Hospitals are struggling to keep up with their hiring needs as they grow. Manufacturers, local governments, assisted living centers, and home improvement stores are looking to fill countless jobs with the region's economy on the mend. As big-box retailers expand in the market, retailers too are hurting for more hands.

Eye Centers of Florida, RWL Communications Inc. and The Arlington, a new resort-style continuing care retirement community in East Naples, are just a few of the businesses that have recently held job fairs in Naples. They are on the hunt for year-round workers.

Terri Lamon, corporate executive director of human resources for The Arlington, said the community will need 185 employees when it's fully operational. The recent job fair attracted about 150 candidates, but she expects only 30 to 40 to be hired.

The multigenerational community is creating a range of jobs, from housekeeping to nursing. "Think of a hotel, we have every need you have at a hotel, but add health care to it," Lamon said.

To make itself more attractive to job seekers, The Arlington has tweaked its employee benefits. New employees can get health insurance on the first day of the month after they're hired. For certain management positions, there are sign on bonuses, paid after a year on the job.

"Because we are phasing in the hiring I'm pretty confident we will have what we need," Lamon said. "We'll wait for quality because we want to make sure we have the right people."

No one 'beating down the door'

RWL Communications, a contractor for Xfinity/Comcast, hasn't had much luck with its recent hiring events, said Rich White, a general manager with RWL.

Job fairs are new for RWL, which is looking for residential installers for cable, phone and Internet. Installers are paid per job, but receive company benefits, such as health insurance, and can earn up to $1,000 a week.

"We don't have people beating down the door at this point," White said. "We are exhausting all options to try to network, more so than we have in the past."

RWL is looking to fill at least 30 jobs, but the need for workers is closer to 50, White said. One of the biggest challenges, he said, is finding workers who can pass a background check and qualify to drive a company truck.

Like many other employers, RWL is offering incentives to try to attract new workers including referral bonuses.

At its job fair in August, Eye Centers of Florida filled only two of its open jobs. "I don't think it was as popular as we hoped it would be, but this is also our first try," said Holly Shearer, the company's human resources manager.

The optometry practice, with offices in Lee, Collier, Hendry and Charlotte counties, needs more opticians and optical assistants, especially in Naples.

"It's hard for us to find people that live in Naples and want to work in Naples," Shearer said. "We got lots of people who live in Lee County who are willing to commute to Naples temporarily until something opens in Lee County. But that's a quick fix and that is unstable for that office to have such a high turnover."

Hospitals hurting

As the busy season approaches, hiring has already kicked into high gear in the health care industry, which is in need of hundreds of workers.

With about 11,500 employees and hospitals in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, the Lee Memorial Health System has more than 650 open jobs, both year-round and seasonal, said Kristy Rigot, the system's human resources director.

"The community continues to grow. The economy is more on a rebound. So we are trying to increase our capacity and to meet the needs of the community," she said.

The health care system's aggressive attraction strategies include advertising on niche websites, organizing meet-and-greets with potential candidates, sending recruiters on out-of-state missions, offering relocation assistance and giving referral bonuses for certain jobs, up to $2,500, Rigot said.

Some of the hardest workers to find, she said, are critical care nurses, medical technologists, physical therapists, IT/business systems analysts, coders and advanced providers, such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

The NCH Healthcare System in Naples, with two hospitals in Collier County, is hunting for seasonal and year-round workers too, including registered nurses, acute care specialists, physical therapists and respiratory radiologists.

New positions are being created by NCH's growth, including a new chest pain center.

To be more competitive, the health care system recently started offering medical benefits to new hires on their first day, said Renee Thigpen, associate chief human resources officer. There used to be a 58-day wait, she said.

NCH has also hired employees who want to become certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, paying for their tuition, tests and licensing. About 25 have finished the program, working while attending school at the Lorenzo Walker Technical College in East Naples, said Sandy Danielson, NCH's talent acquisition manager. Most of the program's participants have been career changers, hired for their strong customer service skills, she said.

Help needed

To handle its growing service demands, Collier County government plans to add more than 60 employees to its payroll next fiscal year, starting Oct. 1. That's on top of jobs it needs to fill because of turnover.

"When an opening occurs, we get a strong response to our position postings," said Amy Lyberg, the county's director of human resources. "The HR division has participated in job fairs throughout the county to bring in new staff, and will continue to do so in the coming fiscal year."

Others hanging out their help wanted signs are: The Seminole Casino in Immokalee and Hertz, which is building its new global headquarters in Estero.

The casino and its neighboring hotel have about 40 open jobs, mostly due to turnover, said Jim Gibson, marketing director. With a recent expansion of the casino, including the opening of a hotel, the business added about 200 employees to the team earlier this year, he said.

"We are a year-round business, 24-7. So we don't necessarily see the same seasonality patterns that some of the other industries in our market do. So we are constantly hiring," Gibson said.

As for Hertz, it has 77 corporate jobs and 120 field positions open locally for its rental car operations. At its equipment rental business, based in Bonita Springs, there are another 18 corporate and 17 field openings, said Beth Davis, public affairs manager for The Hertz Corp.

"The most difficult jobs to fill locally are financial/audit positions because they require previous corporate experience at a Fortune 500 company," she said.

Later this month, Home Depot will be looking to hire more than 450 associates at about 60 of its South Florida stores, including its Naples, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Fort Myers locations, said Matt Harrigan. It has launched an online media campaign to get the word out.

"We've had pretty good luck hiring because of our culture, but we also offer a 401(k) program, as well as discounts on cell phone carriers, gym memberships electronics and other products and services from over 30,000 other merchants, Harrigan said.

Additionally, he said, the retailer offers tuition reimbursement, vision and dental benefits and critical illness and disability coverage to all of its workers, including part-timers.

As it continues to expand, global medical device manufacturer Arthrex Inc., headquartered in North Naples, has more than 50 year-round jobs open. While the company has worked with public schools, technical colleges, universities and others to make sure it has enough trained employees, it still struggles to find enough workers with manufacturing, IT and supply chain skills, said Mike Boose, human resources director for Arthrex Manufacturing.

"In addition, with the return of a strong local housing market, housing affordability for employees is once again becoming a significant factor in recruitment," he said.

___

(c)2015 the Naples Daily News (Naples, Fla.)

Visit the Naples Daily News (Naples, Fla.) at www.naplesnews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.