Plenty of job openings in Hamilton County
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — In Hamilton County, economic development officials say, the service industry and nursing professions have the most job openings.
Matt Frey, owner of Bub’s Burger, says he needs at least 50 new employees for all five of his locations, including the newest restaurant at the Indianapolis International Airport.
Hiring and retaining those employees is a challenge.
“Someone comes last week: ‘It’s too hard, I’m out,’ or ‘I don’t like this, I’m out,’” Frey said.
Officials believe increased wages have caused some people to leave the service industry because they no longer need two part-time jobs to make ends meet.
“It’s very easy now for workers to find DoorDash driving, or Uber, and a number of other services that allow them to work on their schedule, when they want to, when they don’t want to,” said Mike Thibideau, the Hamilton County Economic Development Corp. vice president for workforce strategy.
Frey opened his first Bub’s restaurant in Carmel 19 years ago. He tries to offset the competition by offering competitive wages for servers, even as the cost of food increases. “If they aren’t making at least $15 per hour, that’s tips, they’re doing something wrong. We’ve had kids, young kids, 15, 16 years old, waiting tables, making $50 an hour,” Fry said.
It isn’t just the service industry.
Truck drivers with commercial driver’s licenses are in high demand, as well as day care workers, which are a vital part of Hamilton County’s economy.
“If we can’t find enough workers to staff our local child cares, that means people who would otherwise go back to work are taking care of kids at home,” Thibideau said.
Frey says he’s already cut back on the type of table service he offers because he can’t fully staff a shift. “You’re not getting what you’re used to when you go to a location. That could be a Bub’s or anyone out there. If you’re doing it differently than you are used to, people aren’t always open to that.”
Some sectors have successfully attracted workers. Those include the construction industry, technology, and customer support.