Small businesses are still in major need of workers as the economy continues to bounce back from the pandemic, but according to one industry expert, that's only one of the problems facing owners of small businesses.
According to Louisiana Small Business Association director Dawn Starns McVea, businesses have had to turn away potential employees because they don't have proper interpersonal skills.
"They have so many people that have come to get a job but have no soft skills," McVea told WWL's Tommy Tucker. "You've got to have people who understand how to communicate with their coworkers and communicate with customers, and there's a lot of that missing."
Starns says workers with soft skills have been slow to return to the jobs market.
"The biggest challenge has been getting people in the door to apply for jobs," McVea said.
Where those workers have gone, McVea said, is "a mixed back."
"You have some people who say they quit the labor force altogther," McVea said. "You have some people who say they've gone back to school. You have some people who say I've just decided to work for myself. It's all over the map, and I don't know if it's fleshed it out."
McVea said the data showing the state of small business and employment won't be released until next summer. Still, McVea says anecdotal information points to more people going into business for themselves.
"I think we're still probably another year or so out from recovering from the pandemic to really understand what has happened to the labor market," Starnes said. "The secretary of state in Mississippi, I know, put out something not too long ago that said they have a lot of new startups there. I'm sure the same has been here in Louisiana. It's just really getting a handle on that data."
