CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Business and government leaders said helping local businesses to recover as the coronavirus pandemic eases will be—at best—complicated.
The Chicago City Council’s Workforce Development Committee held a hearing on what the city can do to get businesses and the economy roaring again.
"We now face the prospect of how to adjust to a new normal of a post-pandemic economy, and how to regain Chicago's strength and vitality in a safe, fair, and collaborative way," said committee chair Alderwoman Susan Sadlowski-Garza.
Craig Schmidt, Vice President of the Calumet Area Industrial Commission, said the challenge isn't necessarily finding jobs for workers, it's finding workers for all the vacant jobs.
"Manufacturing was not hit as hard during COVID like many other industries, and while they feel very fortunate, they did lose individuals who did not want to come to work; and now they are going on a huge hiring spree right now," he said.
Meanwhile, Michael Jacobson, President of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, said the hospitality industry is slowly coming back after being one of the hardest hit sectors in the pandemic. But, he told the City Council hearing when hotels try to hire back laid-off staff, many say no.
"And we know this is for a variety of reasons. In our industry, this includes employees finding work in other industries that have been more open or leaving the state for markets where hotels have had higher occupancy levels, because they were reopened quicker," he said.
So hotels have a staffing shortage. So does manufacturing. Craig Schmidt, Vice President of the Calumet Area Industrial Commission, told aldermen what they can do to help.
"Spread the word about getting individuals into manufacturing programs...how do we reach individuals in these neighborhoods?" he asked.
That is the challenge.
He said several agencies in Chicago and Cook County offer training programs.
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