Sunland Park Race Track & Casino job fair shows the struggles to hire workers currently
SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico- It has been over a year and a half since the start of the pandemic, and after a long period of lay offs, the work force still hasn't come full circle. Help wanted signs are still on the doors of many businesses in industries across the board.
The Sunland Park Race Track and Casino held a job fair on Tuesday in an attempt to fill open positions with returning and new workers.
Dora Vasquez, who is the human resources representative for the casino, told ABC-7, "we did lay off a lot of workers in 2020, we laid off most of our crew. We're hoping to fill about 100 positions." Those positions ranged from custodians, to security guards, to bartenders.
"It has been a challenge since we opened back in March. We've had employees come on board and leave the next day," she explained.
Another Borderland business, Major League Barber Shop, is also having trouble finding good hair stylists. The manager, Edgar Meza, emphasized the impact of the pandemic on his shop.
"With the Covid, it's affecting the schooling - so it's taking longer for people to finish their hours in order to get their licenses to be ready for the shop. So that's where Covid is affecting our normal issues with getting licensed people," he explained.
In today's job market, people are wanting good incentives from the place they are considering working for. At the Sunland Park Casino, they are offering a $300 bonus to seasonal workers who last through the entire horse racing season.
Meza said he's instead tried incentives to draw customers, but they haven't worked. "You know what, we've done that," he noted, "we've done the first week free, or the first week half-off something - just so we can try to get people to come here."
