As the summer season comes to an end, many Jersey Shore businesses are gearing up for one last blast of tourist activity this Labor Day weekend. But how have they fared overall this summer?
Restaurant owner Marilyn Schlossbach said the labor shortage made it hard to find quality employees. “We got a barrage of lots of people coming through for jobs, but not qualified. No ability to train them properly because we’re already in it. A generation of people that aren’t the best communicators,” Schlossbach said.
Michael Busler, professor of finance at Stockton University, said a labor shortage is a widespread problem for New Jersey restaurants.
Restaurants are also competing for skilled employees. Restaurant and bar owner Tim McLoone raised the minimum wage at his restaurants to $15 an hour, a move that other restaurants weren’t able to match. McLoone said supply chain issues were also a challenge.
It was a challenging summer too for those involved in property rental. Broker Paul Ward in Point Pleasant Beach said he had to work harder than usual to hit his usual 90% occupancy for properties there. “This year, I think we had a little more of a problem with economic concerns and economic affordability. We’re still something of a blue collar town,” Ward said.
