Business Should Be Booming — If Only There Were Enough Workers For The Job

A ‘Help Wanted’ sign is displayed at a gas station on June 23 in Los Angeles. After surviving the pandemic, small businesses across the country are struggling to find workers // Getty Images, Mario Tama

Solstice Wood Fire Pizza in Hood River, Ore., made it through the pandemic. And now that Americans are eating out and doing all the things that were off limits, this should be a booming time for owner Aaron Baumhackl.

Instead, Baumhackl is facing an unexpected problem. He’s struggling to find all the workers he needs to churn out his pizzas, and he’s losing valuable business.

“The demand is like we’ve never seen before,” says Baumhackl. “It would have been a record-breaking year.”

But with just 60% of his usual workforce, Baumhackl says he can only open four-and-half days a week. He’s also turning away more than 80% of his usual catering business.

“We say ‘No, no, no’ all the time,” he notes.

It’s a common complaint….

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