Amarillo workforce agency: 'Hundreds of job postings unfilled every day if not thousands'

The Amarillo workforce is still working to bridge the gap between employers and employees, post pandemic.

Like much of the nation, Amarillo saw a large fluctuation in employment and unemployment rates due to the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic — resulting in many individuals relocating to find work, working remotely, or entering early retirement.

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Amarillo labor force saw a substantial rise in its unemployment rate, from 3.7% in March 2020 to 8.1% in April 2020, as a result of the pandemic.

Just a year later in 2021, the unemployment rate had dropped down to 3.8% for the month of April. This year, with the most recent configured comparison according to the bureau, Amarillo stands at 2.5% for the unemployment rate of April 2022.

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According to Trent Morris, Director of Workforce Solutions Panhandle (WSP), although the unemployment rate has decreased for the city, these numbers do not reflect the gap between employers seeking employees and individuals seeking employment.

"We are below 3% on unemployment rate, and that's to the point of almost unhealthy in terms of full employment. There are not a lot of candidates that are between jobs looking to fill openings. There is a shortage of candidates, and I'd like to see the participation rate to increase for those that are able to work to look for work," Morris said.

The director said that due to the gap between businesses hiring and job seekers, companies have began utilizing other methods and incentives to hire and retain employees, such as pay increases, offering of better benefits, a rise in social media recruitment, job fairs, and partnerships with local colleges in hopes to employ graduating students.

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"There are hundreds of job postings that go unfilled every day if not thousands because of the lack of job seekers, and we continue to see our job market grow. And so we are going to need more job seekers and retain more college students, and be strategic on trying to keep those job seekers here in Amarillo," Morris said.

In hopes of helping the Panhandle area's workforce, WSP now offers childcare assistance, as previously reported by the Globe-News. WSP will host a hiring event today at its offices located at 3120 Eddy St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with International Aerospace Coatings looking for Apprentice Aircraft Painters.

"I think the situation that we find ourselves in now will continue to be the case with a tight labor market, and we are going to continue to try to attract candidates to the area and hopefully encourage individuals to move to the area for jobs. I think this will be a trend for several years that we will continue to work through," Morris said.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo businesses still seeking employees in tight labor market