ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — Area businesses are frustrated as short-staffing issues plague the area.
Residents looking for something to eat at Panda Express in Chillicothe Monday evening were surprised to find the business closed.
According to the owners, there was no one available to work. Sunday evening, Wendy’s on North Bridge Street faced the same dilemma.
Across the nation, a labor shortage is causing problems in nearly every business sector.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ross County, as of June 2021, was still hovering at just under 6% for unemployment. That is the same rate the county was under in early March of 2020, near the beginning, of the pandemic.
Low wages, and COVID-19, according to economic expert’s are to blame for the lack of available workers.
During the height of the pandemic, many people relied on the government’s federal unemployment program to pay the bills.
One area resident told the Guardian, “It was rough in the beginning. Once everything got shut down, I couldn’t work, the kids couldn’t go to school. It was a nightmare. The benefits truly helped us during those rough months. It was a real blessing.”
Back in June, Governor Mike DeWine announced the end of the $300 a week federal unemployment aid.
“When this program was put in place, it was a lifeline for many Americans at a time when the only weapon we had in fighting the virus was to slow its spread through social distancing, masking, and sanitization,” DeWine said. “That is no longer the case. That is no longer our only tool in this fight. This assistance was always intended to be temporary.”
The abrupt ending of federal unemployment left families struggling once again to pay the bills.
Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann filed a lawsuit in an attempt to force DeWine to reinstate the benefits. A Franklin County judge dismissed the lawsuit citing that DeWine was under no obligation to continue the program.
Despite DeWine’s claims that the shortage was fueled by the federal unemployment, now that it’s been cut for nearly two months, the low staffing numbers continue.
This decision comes as COVID-19 cases top 3,500 in Ohio. Experts say, “We are in the midst of a dangerous trend.”
Families across this country have sought to rejoin the workforce, only to find employers offering unliveable wages.
“When you have a large family it costs a lot to keep things afloat,” said one Chillicothe man. “For a family, our size minimum wage won’t cut it.”
The “Fight for $15” movement has been gaining traction across the United States as citizens demand a liveable wage.
Several major corporations have announced their commitment to raising their minimum pay to $15 an hour. CVS has become the most recent corporation to promise their employees $15 an hour.
Economists say, “This labor shortage will continue until businesses, especially large corporations, start paying people an income that pays the bills.”
Since 2009, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 has not changed.