HELP WANTED | Valley temp agencies say it’s tough to ‘find the right people’ — but it’s getting easier

[Editor’s note: This is the third report in our multipart series “Help Wanted,” in which Mahoning Matters will review labor shortages in Mahoning County’s top employment sectors, focusing on jobs that are difficult to fill, have high turnover or are otherwise in high demand. Nationwide, 4.3 million people quit their jobs in December 2021 alone, according to federal data. This third report focuses on administrative jobs; others will focus on manufacturing, health care and other sectors. Have something to say about local employment rates or in-demand jobs? Email us at news@mahoningmatters.com or call us toll-free at 888-655-1012.]

___

Staffing and recruitment agencies in the Valley have been working to meet the demand of administrative and customer support employers facing staffing shortages.

A record of more than 4.5 million people quit their jobs in November 2021, according to a January report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Katie Sideris, regional client service manager for Just In Time staffing, oversees Youngstown’s recruitment office to help companies in Youngstown fill entry-level job positions for temporary and full-time employment.

The recruitment agency helps people get hired with different employers in the area, manages their reliability and consistency with employers for 90 days and handles payroll, medical benefits and insurance.

Sideris said entry-level positions for administrative and office sectors have a higher turnover rate.

Employees are leaving one position for the next best thing with higher pay rates and more career growth — something that’s come to be called “The Great Resignation,” Sideris said. With more job opportunities across different industries, many people are moving on, especially if they are unhappy, she said.

“It’s difficult to find the right people a lot of times when there’s just so many positions available,” she said.

Employers are now offering competitive benefits, sign-on bonuses and increased pay rates to keep staffing at maximum capacity, Sideris said.

“We have companies that one year ago were in the $15-an-hour range that are up to $20- to $22-an-hour now,” she said. “I would say average rates one year ago were probably around $13 and now they’re probably $18.”

Becky Hildak, manager for Youngstown’s Robert Half Recruiters & Employment Agency in Canfield, works with employers in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties to fill positions in administrative, customer support, accounting and financing work.

Hildak said there has been a large demand for filling entry-level, management and senior executive jobs in the Valley.

“The job market will continue to recover as we get into this year. … We’re seeing incremental improvements in the availability of people for work.”

Hildak said 65% of companies plan to add new permanent positions in the first half of 2022, citing internal data from Robert Half’s research department.

Hildak said employers need more full-time, part-time, temporary and contract workers for general office support, clerical and customer service positions.

Fifty-five percent of the recruitment agency’s employers have increased pay rates, compared to this time last year, Hildak said.

“What jobs paid in January of last year are not paying the same this year — they’re paying more,” she said. “Forty-four percent of our employers are providing sign-on bonuses for permanent positions and are getting a better candidate pool based on those.”

Hildak said the agency encourages their clients to offer a hybrid work schedule to attract a larger candidate pool.

“Having that remote offering, even if it’s at a hybrid or periodic rate, is going to help companies hire into the new year,” she said.

Sideris said filling internal staffing positions for Just In Time Staffing has also been a challenge over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said staffing and recruitment is a stressful industry to work in and the COVID-19 pandemic made it even harder.

“We have experienced a higher turnover rate [with the company] than we ever had previously,” she said. “This position is very fast paced, stressful and kind of high-octane. You’re with people all day long, and I think a lot of times, you can’t really fully understand that until you immerse yourself in it.”

Sideris said the recruitment company’s biggest staffing shortfall was around the springtime of 2021.

“This time of year is always a little bit slower anyway, so we’re kind of taking this little break that we have and ramping up for when things increase, but candidate traffic that we’re seeing in and out of the office has increased significantly over the last couple months,” she said.

As more clients start working with Just In Time, it’s likely the staffing agency will be adding more job positions across its Ohio offices, Sideris said.

Temporary help services accounted for more than a third of the 95,000 jobs gained in the professional and business services sector in February, according to a March news release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“This office is very busy, so there’s a good chance that we want to increase [employment] as well,” Sideris said. “We take a lot of pride in the company and pay people well while having great benefits.”

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM.