Vail Valley workforce survey shows difficulty in hiring
Cost, availability of housing is a key hindrance to hiring, respondents say
- 30%: Employers who report 鈥済ood鈥� or 鈥渆xcellent鈥� experience finding new employees.
- 44%: Employers who report it takes two to three months to fill open positions.
- 51%: Employers who expect to add between one and four employees in the coming year.
- 72%: Employers who say housing availability negatively affects their ability to attract, hire and retain employees.
EAGLE COUNTY 鈥� If you鈥檙e hiring, this isn鈥檛 news: it鈥檚 harder to find new employees than it was even a year ago.
That鈥檚 just one of the trends identified in the most recent workforce report released by the Vail Valley Parternship and Vail Valley Economic Development.
It also isn鈥檛 news that jobs are staying unfilled longer, and that housing remains a 鈥渕ajor frustration鈥� for employees in the valley. That frustration is growing. In just the last year, the number of employees ranking housing as a major frustration has increased from 61% to 65% of respondents.
That growth has come as the economy has recovered from the national recession that began in 2008. As recently as the 2014-2015 survey, only 35% of respondents rated housing as a major frustration.
Employers have noticed the housing crunch, of course. Since 2015-2016, between 60% and 78% of employers participating in the survey stated that the availability of housing negatively impacts their efforts to attract, hire and retain employees.
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A problem forever
Those numbers have varied wildly during the 13 years the survey has been taken. In the 2009-2010 survey, with the valley in a deep economic slump, only 24% of employers said housing negatively affected their ability to hire.
But Jim Pavelich said housing has always been a problem in the Vail Valley.
Pavelich, a co-founder of the Vail Daily is currently the owner of the Northside Kitchen restaurants in Avon in Vail and Benderz Southside in Avon. He recalled arriving in Vail in 1975.
鈥淭he manager of the Holiday Inn said she鈥檇 hire me if I had a place to stay. I lied and I got hired,鈥� Pavelich said.
Pavelich said staffing at his restaurants also mirrors a long-running problem in the valley.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an ebb and flow of seasonal employment population that follows the tourist population, he said. 鈥淧eople leave and come back.鈥�
It’s getting worse
But the survey seems to indicate longtime trends aren鈥檛 improving.
鈥淭he fact it鈥檚 getting worse is nuts,鈥� Vail Valley Partnership President Chris Romer said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not doing a better job.鈥�
Beyond housing and recruitment, health insurance is another major problem.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 been the big three for a while,鈥� Romer said.
To help avoid turnover, a number of local businesses are increasing training and providing benefits.
According to the survey, 63% of employers plan to increase their investments in training.
That can help keep good people. Another way to keep people is to make work less seasonal.
Jeanne Fritch, general manager of the Sitzmark Lodge in Vail, said that 35-room hotel doesn鈥檛 do much seasonal hiring.
鈥淲e try to keep staff, and keep them busy in the offseason,鈥� Fritch said. 鈥淲e try to find projects for them. We don鈥檛 want to lose anybody.鈥�
In addition to year-round work, the Sitzmark also offers a benefits package including health insurance, participation in a retirement fund and paid vacation.
The same is true at the Antlers Lodge in Lionshead. Antlers assistant general manager Kim Newbury-Rediker said that property also works to keep virtually all of its 50-person staff working all year.
The Antlers has some on-site housing and also offers insurance and health savings account options.
The Antlers is a condominium complex and has a homeowners association. Newbury-Rediker said those condo owners work to 鈥渕ake sure we鈥檙e providing the salary and benefits to encourage (long-term employment).鈥� In fact, she added, some people on the housekeeping staff have been with the Antlers for more than a decade.
While recruitment is a problem, Romer said it isn鈥檛 just the hospitality industry that鈥檚 been affected.
鈥淚t鈥檚 industry agnostic,鈥� Romer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 construction, hospitality, education, health and wellness.鈥� Some of those sectors have good-paying jobs that go unfilled, he said.
Those unfilled positions are a problem now, and will be a greater problem in the future, Romer said.
Still, most respondents said they believe the local economy will remain solid, or improve a bit.
In the remarks with the survey, one respondent wrote:
鈥淏usinesses seem to be doing well, but staffing is suffering. The cost of living keeps going up and wages do not keep pace.鈥�
Vail Daily Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at smiller@vaildaily.com or 970-748-2930.
