Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1468178
27 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | May 23, 2022 FOCUS 5.0 Timothy Byrne is an employee at Drew Marine, which is getting creative in its efforts to attract talent amid a tight labor market. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Root causes The pandemic exacerbated trends feeding the labor shortage, including almost nonexistent population growth and an aging workforce, DiPentima said. When the pandemic hit, many opted to retire early, he said. "It's like we had this massive scab over a wound, and we tore it open further," he said. Elaine Kaiser, managing director of Kaiser Whitney Staffing in New Haven, said this is the tightest labor market she's seen in more than three decades in the recruitment field. Her firm has hundreds of openings ranging from stock clerks to top management. Kaiser said there is a "perfect storm" of job creation, early retirements and mothers opting to stay out of the workforce. She knows attorneys doing more of their own paralegal work. She has had calls from nursing homes and nursery schools desperate for staff. "I have many more openings than people that want to work right now," Kaiser said. "There are many people who are not working right now, which is a mystery." Aldin Beslagic, of Bestlogic Staffing in Rocky Hill, said employee referrals often produce the best candidates, as existing staff want to work with competent people. Beslagic said he aimed to fill one-third of new hires through referrals when he was director of talent acquisition for Quest Global Engineering. Beslagic has managed his own recruiting firm for the past 15 years. At present, he is trying to fill 150 vacancies. Three years ago, he would have had about 30 openings. Beslagic advises clients to clearly project their core values to potential hires. A candidate might be swayed by companies that provide a social or environmental good. Widening the hunt Hartford-based accounting and consulting firm Whittlesey employs 160 people and "could probably use" a dozen more, said Drew Andrews, the company's managing partner and CEO. This is an unusually large number of openings, Andrews said. It has become twice as difficult to find talent over the past five years, he said. In response, Whittlesey doubled employee Job Openings in CT Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey AUG 2021 100,000 104,000 103,000 112,000 114,000 105,000 109,000 SEPT 2021 OCT 2021 NOV 2021 DEC 2021 JAN 2022 FEB 2022 referral bonuses last year. It also doubled year-end bonuses. It bumped pay in January in addition to the usual August employee review and raise schedule. In recent weeks, Andrews has relaxed his stance on remote work, accepting the pragmatism of widening his search and hiring some staff who may never come to the office, or visit with clients in person. Whittlesey is similarly advising clients seeking hiring advice to also seek candidates far afield if they can offer remote work. A staff member hired from a lower-cost, lower-wage state might see a 10% to 15% pay bump by signing on with a Northeast-based company, at no increased cost to the employer, Andrews said. Whittlesey has also dusted off resumes submitted years ago and even solicited potential candidates who never applied to the firm. "It's almost like making stew," Andrews said of adjustments made to the tight labor market. "The pieces might not taste as good until you put them all in the pot and stir them around and get a good result. I think that's what we are seeing right now. You can't just do one thing. You have to do five or six things. Today one will hit, tomorrow another will hit."