Cassidy O’Toner | Writer
September 26, 2021
Across the country, businesses have experienced an extreme employee shortage. Although a national issue over the past few months, it is becoming increasingly noticeable within the San Clemente community.
Walking down Del Mar, it appears as though the new staple of this popular tourist location is a collage of hiring signs. It’s nearly impossible to walk past more than two stores without being confronted with one. This can be said for almost every shopping location in San Clemente.
“In almost every store I walk into, I see a ‘Hiring Now’ sign,” senior Cameron Trunec said. One local business, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at the San Clemente Outlets, recently tried its luck at a Job Fair sponsored by the Outlets. Unfortunately, they turned up largely empty-handed with only one applicant.
Rocky Mountain is not unique in its struggle with obtaining new hires. “Vans said that they are really in need of new workers and staff,” senior Riley Saunderson said. “[The store] asked if I had any 18-year-old friends that could work.” While this new availability of jobs poses an excellent opportunity for many of the residents in San Clemente, this also presents a potential problem.
The employee shortage went largely unnoticed during the summer when all of the high schoolers were working. However, now that they are back in school, San Clemente is facing a crisis.
“Our local Chick-Fil-A in San Clemente is so understaffed that they are unable to have the inside of their store open,” junior Jonas Sharp said. “They currently only offer drive-thru or delivery.” With local shops drowning in customers but having no one to do the work, it is possible that many businesses will be forced to shut down.
Experts are unsure as to the actual cause of the shortage, but there is a great deal of speculation that the primary source is the unemployment checks that were given out at the start of the pandemic. Despite the good they have done for many of the families in our community, the continued absence of employees is starting to effect both employers and customers alike. Hopefully, this issue is temporary and will be resolved as soon as people return to work.
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