TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As Barbara Shuman washed the dishes, it was just another role she’s had to take on at Bumstead’s, a local restaurant in Tucson.
They’re going through a shortage of employees and need 3 cooks, 4 servers and 2 dishwashers.
That means Shuman is also having to be a bartender and waitress.
“As employees at Bumstead’s, basically work anywhere between 12 to 16 to 18 hour days,” Shuman said.
The restaurant has been having a hard time finding workers since they opened almost 3 years ago during the pandemic.
“I honestly don’t know what it is but we’ve had a very difficult time finding employees,” she said.
Busmtead’s is also having a hard time keeping workers, some of them just wanting to work part-time.
“We come across several applicants that have full time jobs, if not full time and part time jobs, and they’re not making enough money to pay their bills so they’re looking for a side hustle,” Schuman said.
She said some of those employees can’t even commit to the hours they do get. When the restaurant needs to save money, they cut the payroll instead of compromising the quality of their ingredients or portion sizes.
Shuman is just hoping they can get more employees.
“Fill out the schedule and that way we won’t have to work the employees we have so hard,” she said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says unemployment is at about 4 percent in Arizona and about 3.4 percent nationwide. They say a year ago the unemployment rate in Arizona was about 3.6 percent.
However, some businesses are having a hard time finding the right kind of employees.
Owner of A Plus Handyman Services Philip Foster spends a lot of nights worrying he’s not getting enough skilled workers.
“It’s just all around can be a negative when you’re fighting things you can’t control,” Foster said.
He said that means he has to do a lot more than just manage his company, having to take on projects himself.
However, all his employees also have to take on extra work and sometimes he even has to turn down projects because of a lack of employees with the skills for the job.
He believes the stimulus and unemployment checks the government gave during the pandemic could be contributing to a shortage of skilled employees.
“Companies are having to deal with having less and still having to pay basically the same,” he said.
In order to encourage people to work for him, he said he’s offering benefits like paid vacations and paid holidays.
“I hope that’s enough. We feel like we’re doing the best we can,” Foster said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
