Restaurants and hotels around Jacksonville are struggling to find employees as business starts to ramp up while vaccination rates climb. So business owners are teaming up to host a multi-location job fair across Northeast Florida next Tuesday, May 18.
Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Regional Director Nicole Chapman said on Tuesday's First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross that most applicants aren’t showing up for the job interviews they schedule with local businesses.
“We’ve got about 1,000 jobs just in our area in the hospitality sector - jobs open that we need to fill. You’ve probably noticed some restaurants are having to close certain days to give the employees they do have a break, and some hotels are having to shut down rooms because they don’t have enough housekeepers,” Chapman said.
It's a problem for service industry managersacross the country, partly because many workers who were laid off or left restaurant jobs during the pandemic have found work elsewhere.
The Northeast Florida Hospitality Job Fair is being held at the following locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18:
Fernandina Beach
Atlantic Auditorium at Atlantic Recreation Center
2500 Atlantic Avenue, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Jacksonville Beach
Four Points by Sheraton Jacksonville Beachfront
11 N. 1st Street, Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250
Markets at Town Center
Prati Italia
4972 Big Island Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32246
St. Augustine
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Saint Augustine
North 2300 FL-16, St. Augustine, FL 32084
The organizers say interviews will be conducted on site.
"If you’ve ever considered a part-time or full-time career in hospitality or food and beverage, now is the time,” said Scott Wellington, the association's local chapter president and the general manager at the Aloft Jacksonville Tapestry Park hotel.
All four locations will be observing COVID-19 safety precautions, meaning masks will be required indoors.
Here's a list of the employers scheduled to take part and aditional information.
Listen to the discussion on the challenges the restaurant and hospitality industries are facing, including the full interview with Chapman, on Tuesday’s First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross. The show also encores at 8 p.m. Tuesday on WJCT News 89.9.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.
