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AUSTIN (KXAN) – More than 50,000 people are still unemployed on the Austin metro, according to Workforce Solutions Capital Area, an organization committed to connecting job seekers with employment.
And from Saturday, the weekly US $ 300 unemployment benefit ends in Texas. Given the staff shortage and high demand from busy night owls, some restaurant and bar owners are hoping the change will result in more people applying for jobs.
Texas will end participating in federal pandemic unemployment June 26th
Recent data from the Austin Chamber of Commerce shows 97% of jobs lost during the pandemic have been restored. In the hospitality industry, however, only 74% was reclaimed.
The Texas Restaurant Association said many of these people were desperate to move to other careers after the industry was forcibly closed in 2020 due to ongoing security measures. Other industrial workers have told KXAN that they are still scared of going back to work, where it is your job to interact closely with hundreds of people on a daily basis.
However, the clear message that many service workers wanted to convey is that their absence should not be interpreted as laziness or complacency in receiving unemployment benefits.
Kelsey Erickson Streufert, vice president of government relations and advocacy for the Texas Restaurant Association, said the effects of the industry’s shutdown last March were still being felt. Workers, restaurant owners, suppliers and the general public still suffer. However, she said the path to recovery will depend on cooperation.
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“It will take time to rebuild our workforce and be back where we want to be,” said Erickson Streufert. “It’s a fight, it’s a process, but I would much rather be here than where we were 12 months ago.”
She said it is up to the industry to make changes that will excite their employees and help them see their employment opportunity as a career rather than a job.
The TRA has also reached an agreement with the Texas Workforce Commission to waive grocer licenses and alcohol certification fees for all returning hotel employees for a limited time.
Guests are asked to show mercy to those companies that are still struggling to get back on their feet. Many said they were ready for it.
“You have to switch and retrain. What they really need to do is relearn something that has taken them years to do, ”said Galen Farris, a Las Vegas resident who visited Austin. “We’re just happy to have her back.”
“Biggest” labor shortage in restaurant history: restaurant owners in central Texas have difficulty filling vacancies
The Texas Restaurant Association reports that around 10,000 stores are permanently closed due to the pandemic. There are around 1,500 restaurants in the greater Austin area.
Reach out to KXAN’s education reporter Alex Caprariello by email at alexc@kxan.com or by calling 512-703-5365, or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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