Difficult! Difficult! Difficult! American furniture retailers are experiencing the most difficult recruitment period in 10 years!

The reason is that in most states in the United States, due to the federal government’s unemployment compensation program, people can still earn considerable income during the gap period when changing jobs. Coupled with the lingering uncertainty caused by the epidemic, furniture retailers We are facing a gap in market demand and production capacity, but recruitment is even more difficult.

"Competing" employees with subsidies?

"The truck driver left suddenly? Did all the warehouse workers disappear? No, they just stayed at home," said Sam Zavary, president and CEO of Houston-based Exclusive Furniture.

Although additional unemployment benefits helped stabilize the economy during vacations and layoffs last year, they also made some people feel more comfortable at home than at work.

"When the epidemic happened, the country overreacted. It made the economy look stable and saved us from recession, but we have not yet touched the eye of the hurricane. I don't know what we will encounter in the next two to four years."

"With the development of the industry in the past year, we now need more employees than ever before," said Brad Schweig, vice president of operations at Sunnyland Outdoor Living, based in Dallas.

"This is probably the most challenging labor market we have seen in the past 10 years," said Broad River vice president of personnel Tracey Downs (Tracey Downs). "We found that in the area where employees are most needed: sales Districts, distribution centers, call centers, there is a shortage of laborers interested in employment."

In addition, Irwin Novack, CEO of Kane’s Furniture, based in Pinellas Park, Florida, said that the increase in unemployment benefits has added a new obstacle to recruitment. He said that nowadays positions that deal directly with the public are the most difficult to fill.

"Recruitment is a challenge for us, and it is even more difficult to compete with the government for employees," Novak said. "The government provides subsidies to the people, and many people's willingness to work is greatly reduced. Because of subsidies, we not only have to compete with private companies To compete, but also to compete with the public sector."

Schweiger pointed out that the battle-tested recruitment experience before 2019 is not so effective in today's environment. "I remember a few years ago I would post a job advertisement on Indeed, and I would receive a resume every few seconds in my mailbox," he said.

“It’s more challenging to get these resumes in all departments now, and many candidates are not my ideal candidates. I have to be more strategic in using various recruitment tools, put in more effort and fine-tune my list to Make it more prominent."

Do everything possible to retain employees

To help meet some of these challenges, retailers are studying how to make their work environment unique and beneficial.

In the past 40 days, Exclusive Furniture has hired 38 new salespeople, with a retention rate of 50%. Despite such a high churn rate, CEO Zavari said he is still satisfied with those who remain.

"In the final analysis, we are still eager for new blood to join. This is a victory for us because we need sales staff. People come to the store because they want the sales staff to help them. Furniture doesn't ‘walk out’ the store alone."

For example, Broad River has increased the salaries of many departments and relies on its strong corporate culture to attract and retain Memory Maker (here refers to the company's sales post), as well as other key positions.

"If you are market-competitive in terms of salary, talent will stand out. We need to let candidates see our advantages." At the beginning of the epidemic, Broad River reserved jobs for employees on leave, waiting for them to return when the situation improves. And set aside funds to help them maintain their livelihoods.