by Startling new information has revealed that New York had a roughly 300,000-person drop in its workforce because the pandemic. While New York added 13,500 jobs in December, it leaves the town wanting pre-COVID ranges.
Some from the town share their struggles dealing with a employee shortage and the way enterprise is down.
Tourists aren’t right here
Sevestet Sakar, 78, proprietor of leather-based retailer Village Tannery within the West Village, has been in enterprise for 49 years.
“We have been three individuals working in manufacturing and we solely ended up sustaining one of many three,” she mentioned. “We strive, nevertheless it’s part-time. It’s not full-time. We needed to cut back the manufacturing.”
“Money is down,” most likely “midway” because the pandemic.
“First of all, we now have individuals not coming down. Nobody was going out. It picked up a little bit however it’s going to by no means be the identical. The greatest loss is the vacationers. There are not any vacationers coming into the nation. We have very worldwide clients.”
Not sufficient staff
“It’s a mess,” says a supervisor at Italian restaurant Il Mullino within the West Village. “You can’t discover the individuals who know what they’re doing because the pandemic . . . The dishwasher, they used to clean dishes. Now they break glasses and dishes, and so they chortle. There’s nothing you are able to do.”
The restaurant had 35 workers earlier than the pandemic however now has extra part-timers, rising that quantity to 45, “as a result of they solely wish to work sure days, sure hours.”
High turnover
Ziyad Hermez, 38, proprietor of Manousheh, a Lebanese bakery on Bleecker Street, mentioned he’s on the identical variety of 12 workers because the pandemic, nevertheless it’s been laborious to retain them.
“We’ve simply been placing job adverts up, and so they don’t come down. The jobs adverts are at all times up. We are continually interviewing,” he mentioned.
“It’s been a lot slower,” he mentioned — that means because the pandemic, including that he made $900,000 to $1 million in gross sales pre-pandemic, in comparison with $600,000 in 2022.
“We have been at all times capable of finding individuals on the finish of the day to interview and prepare them. The downside is how lengthy do they final, proper? Before we’d have individuals which are right here for not less than three months.”
He mentioned now individuals final two weeks. “I’ll schedule like 60 interviews for the week, and two individuals will present up. The quantity would possibly sound loopy however actually that’s what occurs.”
