CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Premium Outlets hosted a job fair Wednesday as businesses and companies across North Carolina ramp up hiring efforts ahead of all capacity and social distancing restrictions being lifted in the state on June 1.
Scott Anderson, Director of Marketing and Business Development for Charlotte Premium Outlets, said more than 50 retailers participated in the job fair, with about 170 various positions open across the outlets.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to drive some traffic to their stores and get some people in to interview and ultimately start working,” said Anderson.
Eric Brooks, one of the owners of WhatsWaterIce of the Carolinas LLC, had a table at the job fair. He is looking to hire two part-time employees to work the weekends.
"It really is mind-boggling, you know, as to why you can't find not only people but good people, you know, to run your business,” said Brooks.
Brooks, like many business owners, is having a hard time finding employees with so many openings available to job candidates right now.
"It's been tough, and I don't know the exact reason why,” said Brooks. “But we're offering, and that's all we can do is let folks know that we have an opportunity, and if they're willing, we'll take a look at them."
The unemployment rate in North Carolina is still not back to pre-pandemic levels. The latest data shows a 5.2% unemployment rate in March 2021, compared to 3.6% in February 2020.
Anderson said some businesses are even offering higher wages or signing bonuses to try to entice people to get back to work.
"It's a job-seekers market right now,” Anderson said. “They can look, and they can choose and see what the environment is, what the pay is, and where they want to go and work."
Brooks said he didn’t expect it to be so difficult to find the right candidates to fill his openings and help get his business back to normal.
"We're simply looking for friendly, hard-working people,” added Brooks.
For more information about jobs with Charlotte Premium Outlets and other Simon properties, click here.
Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.