Companies scraping for staff ahead of the holidays

By JOSEPH PISANI
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Companies that typically hire thousands of seasonal workers are heading into the holidays during one of the tightest job markets in decades, making it unlikely they’ll find all the workers they need. For shoppers, it might mean a less than jolly holiday shopping experience, with bare store shelves and online orders that take longer than usual to fill. Employers are so desperate to find holiday workers they’re raising pay above $15 an hour, offering four-figure sign-on bonuses and promising to pay their schooling. If they can’t find the workers they need, employers will likely rely on existing staff to work more overtime, which can become costly for businesses and lead to burnout for workers.