Service Industry Hiring Rates Struggle to Keep Up with Customer Demand

Service Industry Hiring Rates Struggle to Keep Up with Customer Demand

With COVID-related mandates being lifted throughout the country and COVID-19 cases decreasing every day, people are ready to put all of that behind them and celebrate by getting back to “normal.” Summer is upon us, and events are getting scheduled again. People are beginning to feel more comfortable being around others outside of their immediate circle, and are getting out and about more each day! With the newfound confidence to go out in public and socialize, restaurants, and businesses in general, are filling up. Demand for home services and other service-based business models is also the highest it’s been in years.

Customer Demand Rising More Quickly Than Employers Can Fill Positions

With the increased customer demand  in the past few months, businesses are struggling to hire enough staff to properly provide customers the excellent service and care they need. Many businesses had to let employees go at the start of COVID-19, and are still trying to gain an adequate level of staff to keep up with the rising volume of customers.

You’ll see “Now Hiring” messaging front and center on almost every restaurant’s website and in their windows. With pretty much all businesses currently hiring, job-seekers are able to be more selective with the employment opportunities they consider. This leaves employers in a difficult position, competing with other similar businesses to grab the attention of viable candidates. The same way we’re seeing a hot seller’s market in real estate, it’s an employee’s market in the hiring industry.

Competitive Benefits are a Necessity

In order to stay competitive with similar businesses, companies are getting creative with how they’re grabbing people’s attention and getting people to apply. Minimum wage isn’t cutting it like it used to – people expect additional perks to draw them in. What can the employer do for them? This Wall Street Journal article shares that companies are offering a variety of benefits, from signing bonuses, to higher pay and even paying for employees’ college tuition once they’ve worked at a company for several months. Other businesses are offering referral bonuses, immediate pay, or even bonuses for making it a few months and not quitting. It’s imperative that companies share a clear message that that they truly value their employees to even be considered as an option.

The Service Industry as a Whole Experiencing Hiring Shortages

While the restaurant industry is one of the industries getting hit the hardest, they’re not alone in this hiring dilemma. The service industry as a whole has struggled over the past few months to fill their job openings. It’s become difficult not only to get qualified candidates, but to get candidates to apply at all.

Home Clean Heroes has faced some of these same challenges with our cleaning technician recruitment. However, when we do hire new employees after a detailed interview and screening process, we provide a variety of perks and ensure each team member feels valued. And of course, thorough training is provided so that each employee has the confidence to do the work. At Home Clean Heroes, employee morale is a top priority.  When employees feel prioritized, they will provide that same level of support to customers and truly care about the work they’re doing. Giving back customers their free time by providing a clean home takes on a whole new meaning. That level of quality and reliability that Home Clean Heroes provides is more important than getting a house cleaned as quickly as possible.

Like almost every business, we’re still navigating through these hiring challenges to meet the demand for home cleaning services – especially as people’s schedules get filled, reducing their free time that they don’t want to spend cleaning. In addition to the increased demand for recurring house cleanings, with the influx of people moving during this hot housing market, combined with people starting to entertain at their homes again, the rise in our one time specialty services is also increasing.

More so than past years, for many locations we may require advance planning, flexibility and/or patience from our customers when it comes to scheduling. Additionally, if you or someone you know, is looking for work, check out our open job postings around the country. As always, we’re committed to cleaning up your home and freeing up your schedule.