8
KEY WEST WEEKLY / APRIL 15, 2021
HELP WANTED? HELP NEEDED Keys businesses have more job openings than applicants By Jim McCarthy, Sara Matthis and Mandy Miles
Island visitors and traveling residents fill the terminal at the airport in Key West, where business owners say staffing shortages are more dire than ever. LANCE HILL/Keys Weekly
While Key West enjoys a robust tourism recovery, several resorts and hotels are seeking bellhops, valets, pool attendants, front desk agents and housekeepers. LANCE HILL/Keys Weekly
S
ervers, retail associates, dockhands, front desk associates — the list of employment opportunities goes on and on in the Florida Keys. “Now Hiring” signs and Facebook posts seeking job candidates aren’t new to the island chain — with living costs soaring and burnout among those working more than one job. But workforce shortages are becoming so severe that some employers are offering more pay and added benefits. The availability of affordable housing remains a challenge. “I think it’s probably our biggest problem for our businesses,” said Judy Hull, executive director of the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce. “Everyone’s looking for workers, but there’s no employee pool.” The same is true for many businesses at the other end of the island chain in Key West, where it’s not feasible for workers to live in Homestead or Miami and commute to jobs in the Upper Keys. “What workers?” asked bar owner and former Key West city commissioner Mark Rossi, who employs about 80 people in various positions at his Rick’s/Durty Harry’s entertainment complex on Duval Street. “You can’t find staff. There’s no one here, and it’s gotten worse since the pandemic started, much, much worse.” Job postings in the Upper Keys reached into the hundreds for April. Resorts are seeking everything from front desk associates
to maintenance workers, while Starbucks needs baristas and stores like Winn Dixie search for customer service employees. Hotels need everything from food and beverage managers to bartenders and front desk attendants. Around 100 restaurant jobs are open in the Upper Keys. As of April 13, the employment website Indeed.com showed listings for 663 full-time jobs within 10 miles of Key West. Positions run the gamut from police dispatchers and pool attendants to boat mates, bartenders, art framers, receptionists, front desk agents and lab technicians. “It’s pretty much across the board,” Hull said. “If you called almost any business from banking, lodging, water sports and insurance, everyone is searching.” At Key West’s Casa Marina and The Reach resorts, managing director John Trovato and HR director Greer Cornell acknowledged the staffing challenges that followed employee furloughs during the COVID shutdown. As part of the Hilton Worldwide network, Cornell said, the company offers “excellent health benefits” and employee housing based on availability. “We also have a very aggressive recruiting program underway that includes a signing bonus for new hires and a finder’s fee bonus for team members that refer a new hire – both of which are paid out after 90 days of successful employment,” Cornell said.