Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 11, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 9 COVID pandemic, oen in low-wage industries, workers have unprecedented bargaining power to pressure employers to raise wages, and resistant employers may find themselves without much say in the matter, if they want to secure staffing levels. The data In September, a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report detailed open jobs and employee turnover as of the last business day in July. Per that report, the number of open jobs in the country increased by 749,000, coming to a total of 10.9 million. Inversely, 6.7 million hires took place nationwide. e sectors with the greatest increase B e l c h e r t o w n | E a s t B r o o k f i e l d | N o r t h B r o o k f i e l d | P a l m e r | T h r e e R i v e r s | W a r e | W e s t B r o o k f i e l d North Brookfi eld's Super Woman Super Woman Congratulations to North Brookfi eld Savings Bank's Chief Executive Offi cer, Donna L. Boulanger Donna L. Boulanger for being named to the WBJ's Outstanding Women in Business WBJ's Outstanding Women in Business list. This accomplishment caps a storied 44 year career of transformational leadership, unwavering customer focus and a devotion to developing bank associates. We don't factor cost of living into salaries Do you take the cost of living into consideration when setting wages for employees? Companies struggling to hire workers to fill open positions are considering wage increases as a way to entice more applicants. Low salaries are among the many potential issues being blamed for the ongoing labor shortage in Central Massachusetts and throughout the nation, including a temporary and now-expired unemployment supplement, childcare affordability challenges, and an ongoing pandemic. When polled online, the majority of WBJ readers said their businesses don't consider cost of living into their employee wages. F L AS H P O L L Healthcare salaries The healthcare and social services sector had more open jobs at the end of July than in any other sector in the U.S. The vast majority of workers in this sector are employed in production and nonsupervisory roles. Home health aides $27,080 Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses $48,620 Medical and health services managers $100,86 Job 2020 median annual wages Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in open jobs were health care and social assistance, finance and insurance, as well as accommodation and food service. e hiring issues in the first and third industries are the most widely talked about both anecdotally and in news reports, including locally in Central Massachusetts. Per the same report, there were 2.026 million open jobs in the Northeast in mid-summer, a figure which had been steadily rising for the previous three months, as well as 1.005 million hires. In July the year prior, there were 1.2 million open jobs in the Northeast, in comparison, and 1.15 million hires. Because the sector is so outwardly facing, the food service industry has received outsized attention for its unemployment rate (9.4% nationally in August) and the impact it's having on employers and customers. e median average annual income for food prep workers and servers, including fast food, is $23,440, nationwide. In Worcester, where the average rent cost for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,363, according to the website Zumper, such an annual income would be difficult to impossible to live on aer taxes and other necessities are accounted for, nevermind if the workers in question have dependents or are the sole No, our main objective is keeping business costs manageable. 11% 3% 4% No, our salaries are competitive but based on employees' value and what we can afford. 42% Yes, although the pay scale varies widely for different positions. 40% Yes, that's a main priority. Continued on page 10 No, my business is not set up to be a person or household's sole source of income.

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