DANVILLE, Pa. — Hiring signs sit atop the deli, seafood, and bakery counters as well as near many of the checkout lanes at the Weis Markets store in Danville. The company has more than 300 job openings in the central Pennsylvania region.
PR director Dennis Curtin says when the pandemic took hold in early spring, they had a surge of applicants, but now that has tapered off. On top of part-time store work and managerial jobs, they're looking for warehouse workers and truck drivers to fill jobs at their distribution center.
"We are fighting," Curtin said. "We're recruiting. This is a different type of environment. Given the unique set of circumstances, we're doing some creative things by offering bonuses."
According to the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation, Montour County's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the state, and it continues to drop at a similar pace to the state and national rates.
Employment experts say some people are hesitant to return to work because of health, transportation, and childcare issues related to the pandemic.
Officials at the Columbia Montour CareerLink Center say they've seen an influx in people seeking jobs. To help bridge the gap between job openings and applicants, they're enrolling more people in skills courses to help make them more hirable.
"They're attending our workshops on things like simply how to Google, you know 'Google part 1, 2, and 3,' how to fill out an online application for over 55," said Jimmy Muwombi, PA CareerLink business consultant.
Because employers are so hungry for help, sometimes bridging the gap is as easy as stopping into CareerLink. In recent months, workers say they've seen things from employers they've never seen before, even getting people hired on the spot.
"Sometimes they'll waive the application, they'll wave the background check, they'll waive the drug screening. They'll waive the drug screening because they need individuals ASAP," Muwombi said.
The Columbia Montour CareerLink Center will hold a virtual job fair on October 27, with more than 14 manufacturing companies involved and 350 jobs on the table.