BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – Many Western New Yorkers are facing the grim reality of unemployment as the spread of coronavirus has forced many businesses to halt operations in attempts to contain the virus.
One of the many companies in the area that are seeking to hire employees in the wake of the pandemic is Sahlen Packaging Company.
"It's vital that the food supplies continue to be steady," Sahlen Packing Company President Joseph Edward Sahlen said while remarking that their employees are following precautions in the wake of the pandemic.
Sahlen said they've been looking for additional staff for production since before the pandemic started but are hoping that they can find employees soon because demand has nearly doubled in recent days.
"With the number of restaurant workers and throughout the businesses in the immediate area here, there's going to be a tremendous amount of layoffs for who knows how long," Sahlen said. "It's self-serving from our perspective because we need the staff and if there's people out there who have been laid off and are qualified and interested in working, we're certainly interested in speaking with them for a career here at Sahlen's."
There are approximately 65 workers at Sahlen Packing Company and they're hoping to hire as many as ten workers to help with demand. Sahlen said he expects those jobs to hold beyond the pandemic.
Sahlen said that they are following all recall procedures but noted that bacteria's are killed during the cooking process. He added that all the staff in the packaging department wear the proper materials to prevent the spread of illnesses and there is a constant cleaning of equipment.
Unemployment spiked more than 33 percent across the country last week according to US News and World Report.
