BATAVIA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Although the number of new unemployment benefits claims dropped below 600,000 last week, employers are not able to fill their open positions.
"It's a tough market right now, it really it. It's at its all-time lowest quite honestly," said teve Ferraro, Owner of staffing agency @Work Personnel in Batavia.
He said it's a struggle to find employees for his clients.
"We have - just in my Batavia office, we have probably about 30 different job openings," he said.
Ferraro said there's been a decline in people applying and looking for work in the Genesee county region. It’s a problem that’s been going for at least a month.
The blame, he said, falls on unemployment benefits and the recent $300 in weekly emergency unemployment.
Dan DiLaura, who owns Dan's Tire & Auto Service Center in Batavia, has been looking for auto mechanics and tow truck drivers.
"It was tough to get people because everybody was collecting more on unemployment than they could through work," said DiLaura.
Sam Magavern, a volunteer attorney for the Buffalo Living Wage Commission, said a lot of service sector or entry-level jobs are low paying jobs.
"It's just not enough for most people to live on, especially if you've got a family with kids. And that's this kind of underlying economic, social, political problem that we've had in this country," he said.
Although a lot of people are making more money from unemployment, employers are making sure they're providing incentives and increasing pay - which Magavern said is something more employers should consider.
DiLaura said he's offering a sign on bonus of up to $5,000 depending on skills.
Ferraro said he's seeing customers increasing their hourly rates as well, in hopes of luring new employees back into the job market.
