Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | November 13, 2023 | wbjournal.com We're still having trouble recruiting new hires Among the fallout from the COVID pandemic were workforce shortages. Industries including health care and retail reported challenges finding and keeping staff to fulfill their employment needs. Those issues eased somewhat for certain industries, but unemployment remains historically low around 3% and is trending lower, causing personnel available to fill open positions to dwindle. When polled online, approximately 7 out of 10 readers said hiring new staff has been a challenge for the past few years. Are you having difficulty recruiting new staff right now? F L A S H P O L L B R I E F S No, it has improved this year. 17% Yes, it has been an ongoing challenge for the past several years. 71% sale was part of a larger deal that also saw Urban Edge buy the Gateway Center, a commercial property in Everett that is host to a number of big box stores, ac- cording to the company's earning report that was released in late October. e sale also included 19 Flutie Pass and 1391 Worcester Road, two parcels that are utilized for park and ride com- muter parking. e deal includes a total of over 110 acres of property. In 2016, BRE had previously attempt- ed to develop 19 Flutie Pass into a large entertainment center that would have included a restaurant, bowling alley, and indoor skydiving center, according to planning documents on the town of Framingham's website. WinnDevelopment to start $52M Boys Club project Boston real estate firm WinnDevelop- ment announced that it would proceed with the redevelopment of a 93-year-old former Boys Club property in Worcester into 80 units of affordable housing for residents 55 and older. e project will include the resto- ration of the existing Boys Club building on Lincoln Square and the construction of a new building on the property. Of the 80 units, 68 will be reserved for households earning up to 60% area median income and 12 will be for res- idents earning up to 30% AMI. Eleven units will be accessible to residents with disabilities, according to a press release from WinnDevelopment. e project was approved by the city in 2021. Financing for the $52 million project is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024. Worcester County median home sale price jumps 10% e median price of a single-family home in Worcester County shot up in September as home sales continued their slump. e median price for a single-family home sold in Worcester County was $445,000, compared with $405,000 in September 2022, a 10% jump. e statewide increase was 2.7%, accord- ing to a press release from Peabody-based research firm e Warren Group. Continued from previous page Yes, it is a new challenge this year. 4% No, we never had trouble finding new staff. 8%

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