Patience Sought Amid ‘Employment Crisis’

COURT HOUSE – Local businesses are asking for “patience” during the upcoming summer, as they struggle to fill jobs left open because of Covid restrictions, shutdowns, and extension of unemployment benefits.
Bracing for a booming season with the availability of the Covid vaccine, easing of pandemic restrictions, and the ability to travel abroad, in large part, local businesses are facing an “employment crisis,” according to Cape May County Chamber of Commerce President and Education Foundation Executive Director Vicki Clark.
An effort to have the Biden administration fast-track visa appointments and applications for international students who work in the U.S. during the summer failed, so far. 
In June 2020, President Donald Trump stopped the issuance of most of the J-1 visas, which are used by J-1 BridgeUSA programs that bring more than 300,000 international students and professionals to the U.S. to study, work, travel, intern, train and participate in cultural exchange, as a response to job losses caused by the pandemic, per media reports. 
The Biden administration allowed that proclamation to expire March 31. However, U.S. embassies and consulates are providing few, if any, J-1 visa applicant interviews because of Covid restrictions and staffing shortages, bringing the future of these cultural exchange and public diplomacy programs into question.
New Jersey is the eighth top state to host students, receiving about 5,000 in a “typical” year. Cape May County businesses, which use the students to meet mostly seasonal staffing demands, host 2,500-3,000 of those students. 
“Even if we were to get the 2,500 students we usually do, all the jobs would still not be filled for the summer,” Clark said.
“Extending unemployment benefits through the summer season was ill-timed,” she continued. “Child care is an issue because centers are not open yet to full capacity. Children are still in a hybrid schooling situation or going to school virtually, and moms are staying home with them.”
“I just saw the tourism industry economic impact study (https://bit.ly/2RzszsQ) that shows we lost 106,000 jobs in the hospitality industry last year,” she added. “Where are those individuals? We are in crisis mode, as we get closer to Memorial Day and the beginning of June, as we are not likely to fill all our jobs.”
Clark said employers are “paying well above minimum wage” and providing incentives to potential hires, such as subsidized housing, seasonal rides and bonuses. 
“Even with 92,000 year-round residents living in the county, we still can’t fill every position,” she said.
“If the Covid relief unemployment benefits expire in September, the summer is over by then,” she pointed out. “Where will your job be then? You have to work 20 weeks to collect unemployment, so eventually, people have to return to work, so why not take a seasonal job and get your weeks to collect unemployment during the winter?”
Some businesses, like Morey’s Piers and Beachfront Water Parks, of Wildwood, are exploring alternate sources for help. They increased their paid advertising on social media, Google, radio, Spotify, and print media, such as billboards, according to Denise Beckson, vice president of human resources and government relations, at Morey’s.
“We are advertising our recently increased base wages and retention payments,” she noted.
“Further afar, we are advertising our jobs through the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce and in 12 markets throughout the country, such as Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and Wyoming, through a platform aimed at college students,” Beckson said.
Morey’s Piers will still get some number of BridgeUSA students, albeit not the full number they planned, according to Beckson. They usually hire about 500 J-1 students each season.
“We currently have 14 students onsite and more to come,” she said.
Morey’s is also finalizing a contract with a talent casting company from New York City to place out-of-work performers from cruise ships, amusement parks, and off-Broadway productions into frontline positions.
“These performers will bring new elements to the pier,” Beckson said. “They won’t just be tasked with typically line-staff duties; they will incorporate an element of performance experiences while operating rides, games and food.”
In addition, Morey’s is working to expand their program with the Cumberland County Technology Education Center, a four-year vocational public high school, located in Millville, which brings high school students from the Cumberland County Technical School to work at Morey’s. 
In 2019, they had approximately 25 students in the program; after a Covid-induced hiatus in 2020, they hope to have 80 teens this season.
“We are clawing our way to fill our employee rosters,” Beckson said, adding their focus is on getting employees.
“It remains to be seen if we have to make any operating adjustments,” she noted. “We are working hard to not have that occur.”
“We will all need to display more patience this summer, as many of our businesses will be short-staffed, from convenience stores to hotels to restaurants, retail and piers,” Beckson added.
Clark noted that if businesses are unable to hire enough seasonal staff, they may reduce services or hours of operation.
“Motels may shut down some rooms because they can’t get staff to clean,” she said. “Games and amusements could be shut down. Some businesses are taking their administrative staff and putting them on the front lines of their operations, even if it’s not in their job description. This means staff gets burned out early. Check-in times could be delayed. It could take longer for your meal to be cooked and served.”
“We are glad you came to Cape May to spend your vacation, just remember we are doing the best we can,” Clark advised visitors.
One local business, Cape May Brewing Company, said they are in the process of hiring seasonal workers, but the volume of applicants is low, and many applicants are looking for a second job. 
“We are not seeing a lot of unemployed applicants or applicants who aren’t working already,” said Christine Bry, director of people operations, at the brewing company.
They usually hire 20-30 seasonal workers but are hoping to hire 35 this summer because “we keep hearing thathotels are fully booked and that we will see greater numbers of tourists with Covid restrictions easing,” she said.
“Please have patience,” she advised visitors. “This is a new normal we are all getting used to. You can’t belly up to the bar with social distancing and capacity limits. You may have to wait to be seated because you can’t pick your seats. There are going to be lines. We want you to enjoy your experience here, but please have some patience.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.