Labor shortages have become a problem at the height of the pandemic, affecting all of Long Island.
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Stu Feldschu of Snowflake Ice Cream in Riverhead says he’s never seen a labor shortage like this in his 35 years of owning the store.
“We want to stay open more hours.
Tom Fletcher, an associate professor of economics at Suffolk Community College, says record inflation is reducing consumers’ purchasing power.
He says fewer people are looking for work because more people want to work from home.
“Workers will make the decision, ‘Whether I’m worth going to work based on how much I’m making,'” says Fletcher. “So what we’re trying to do is advise people to raise wages and cut costs elsewhere.”
But business owners say all costs are on the rise.
Bryan Deluca of the Long Island Aquarium said, “Put your ad up and one person may come to you for an interview.
Experts don’t think the problem will go away anytime soon. Workers are looking for higher-paying jobs and work-from-home options, they said.