SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– You may have to wait longer for food at your favorite Syracuse restaurants due to staff shortages.
Businesses across the Central New York area are in need of workers.
Varsity Pizza manager Diana Hester said up until now, the pizza shop has always been a popular place to work.
“Everybody always wants to work here. We always have tons of applications and people coming in,” said Hester.
She said they’ve interviewed eight people but none of them have shown up for work.
In her 20 years of working at Varsity Pizza, Hester said the staff shortage is completely new.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I never thought I would in my whole lifetime, you know. It’s unbelievable,” said Hester.
President of Unite Here Local 150 Ann Marie Taliercio said the greater Syracuse area has staff shortages in various industries including hospitality and healthcare. She hopes that this staffing shortage brings recognition back to the value of workers in businesses.
“Workplaces without workers are nothing,” said Taliercio.
She said this goes beyond unemployment, and factors like childcare and early retirement play equal parts in the issue.
In her position as president, Taliercio has found that not only are there shortages for entry-level positions across industries but management ones as well.
