Harrisburg lawmakers consider there isn’t any labor scarcity, solely employees who need to be paid extra – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The labor shortage for businesses is a growing problem across the region.

Harrisburg lawmakers believe that there is no real labor shortage, but that people simply want to be paid more.

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“We worked as much as possible six days a week. I tried to hire people, but it was really, really difficult. I don’t even have applications to hire anyone, ”said Nicole McCarty at Napoli’s Restaurant in Bridgeville.

(Photo credit: KDKA)

Entrepreneurs told KDKA that without the staff there isn’t much to do and that it’s not just the restaurant industry that seeks help.

“I’m looking for 25 to 30 people to bring to work today and I just can’t get anyone through the door,” said William Ciaffoni, who owns All Ways Safe in Canonsburg.

A labor shortage is what companies call it, but heads of state disagree.

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“It is a sign of poor quality of work and low wages. So we need to make sure that every job pays decent wages and that every worker has the opportunity to grow and be successful, ”said incumbent State Labor and Industry Minister Jennifer Berrier.

Various lawmakers continue to push for minimum wages and benefits to be increased to get more workers back into work. Ciaffoni said he had already done this for his construction company.

“We give registration bonuses. We have increased our wages by 30 percent. We have a retirement plan in place and 401,000 and medical benefits. It just doesn’t seem enough to get people through the door, ”said Ciaffoni.

Ciaffoni told KDKA that he couldn’t offer anything more. Napolis Restaurant said an increase in wages could mean the end of the family business.

“We’d have to raise our prices significantly to stay open and pay our employees, and I don’t want to do that to the community. We’re not a high-end restaurant. We’re a family owned restaurant, ”said McCarty.

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This isn’t just a problem for these two companies. Most restaurants have trouble drawing from the same small pool of workers.