A sign on a widow at Fiddler's Hearth seeks to fill open restaurant positions on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 in South Bend. Staff photo by Robert Franklin
- Mary Shown and Ed Semmler, South Bend Tribune
Drive down most major thoroughfares in the region and you’ll notice plenty of businesses pleading for employees.
RV companies and suppliers, restaurants and retailers — nearly everyone seems to be in need of workers now that society is fully emerging from the coronavirus-induced recession.
Needing more employees isn’t necessarily a new issue for businesses, especially heading into the spring and summer seasons. But now, operators say they are also competing against enhanced unemployment benefits and other programs that were established to help people during the height of the pandemic.
And they’re worried that a robust recovery could be hampered by a shortage of workers.
“I’m used to having to compete with others in the hospitality industry and even RV companies for employees,” said Kurt Janowsky, president of Navarre Hospitality Group. “I’m not used to having to also compete with government programs.
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