Dallas (1080 KRLD)- According to a survey by the Texas Association of Business, about 70% of businesses have open positions.
The organization surveyed 177 businesses, finding:
48% have 1-5 positions currently available 11% have 6-10 positions available 11% have 20 or more available positions 21% say they do not currently have any available positions. The Texas Association of Business says 80% of those responding called for an end to the $300 a week federal supplement.
"While the initial federal unemployment supplement was needed at the height of the pandemic, its continuance for those who are eligible to work is keeping businesses from unleashing the full might of the Texas economy," TAB Chief Executive Glenn Hamer wrote in a statement.
"This survey is just a sample of what TAB has been hearing for weeks from organizations all throughout Texas and backs up the recent call by the United States Chamber of Commerce to put an end to this federal supplement.
With vaccines readily available to anyone who wants one, it is time for the President and Congress to realize that this policy is a barrier to enhanced employment in Texas and throughout the country."
Among restaurants, many say they are dealing with a shortage of available staff. The Texas Restaurant Association says about 9,000 of the state's 50,000 restaurants closed during the pandemic but still support more than one million jobs.
"Think about what the last 12 months have been like for them. No one can argue hospitality and restaurants are the hardest-hit sector," says Emily Williams Knight, chief executive of the Texas Restaurant Association. "Now, they're closing early or closing certain days of the week."
Williams Knight says extended benefits play a role, but many hourly employees are struggling to get to work with kids still learning from home or in a hybrid system. She says many hourly workers may not be able to afford childcare or have family available to babysit.
"We know we can't recover fully until we get our labor force back," she says. "What I worry most about is the workforce we do have. Managers are working two, three or four weeks at a time.
Employees are getting as many hours in as possible because there aren't enough of them. They're tired. This is when we say to people, please continue to show grace because these restaurants are facing another whole set of challenges."
In addition to a shortage of manpower, Williams Knight says restaurants are also struggling with increasing prices for things like chicken, coffee and paper products.
"The entire country sort of opened simultaneously. We were very fortunate, we got to full capacity in January, but then the rest of the country started to open, so you had a shortage," she says. "At a time they are trying not to pass things onto consumers and get back on their feet, you're seeing them pay considerably more."
In addition to increased demand from more restaurants reopening, Williams Knight says the ice storm in February paralyzed chicken plants across the South and Southeast. She says the ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March and shipping companies continuing to seek alternate routes have also led to increased costs for restaurants.
